The Meditation

This is an oil painting I did a few years back. I named it "the meditation." At the time painting was a form of meditation for me. I was studying a sodalite stone one day and I saw the shapes in it formed the facial features of a man. I decided to use the face I saw in the stone as the man's face in my painting. Have a great weekend.

Spring Rolls With Chili Dipping Sauce

The other day I was looking through my Natural Health magazine and I came across a great spring roll recipe. Since I love spring rolls and always order them when we go out for Thai, I decided to try and make them. They came out great. My daughter loved them too. They are so healthy, I enjoy making them for her. Here is the recipe I followed. You can purchase some of the ingredients from the Asian section of your grocery store, or an Asian market.
Ingredients;
2 ounces of rice noodles
12 spring roll wrappers
24 fresh mint leaves
1 medium carrot, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 3-inch match sticks
1/3 cup of cilantro
12 pieces of red leaf lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup of tamari sauce
2 tbs of rice vinegar
1 tbs toasted sesame oil
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1/2 chopped jalapeno pepper
1 tbs chopped, unsalted peanuts

Fill a shallow bowl with with hot, but not boiling water. Soak rice noodles for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, cut carrots into match sticks and shred the lettuce. In a shallow bowl, add hot water and place one rice wrapper in there to soften. Once pliable, assemble a spring roll. Start by placing 2 mint leaves lengthwise in the center. Place some carrots on top, then place some lettuce, cilantro and rice noodles on top of the carrots. Roll the spring roll up by folding each end in first, then rolling tightly. Once rolled, place them seam side down onto a serving plate. Repeat the process.
To make the dipping sauce, combine tamari sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and hoisin sauce in a small bowl and mix together well. Stir in jalapeno peppers and peanuts. Serve with spring rolls.
These spring rolls are great for a summer get together. They taste so fresh. Enjoy!

An Insperational Quote

Life is as fleeting as a rainbow, a flash of lightening, a star at dawn. Knowing this how can you quarrel?

My Visit To Our Local Butterfly Exhibit

This Past Memorial day weekend me and my hubby took our 2 kids to the local butterfly exhibit. They were so pretty. The butterflies at this exhibit are from Asia and Africa. Here are a few shots that both me and my hubby took while there.

Buddha's Little Instruction Book

We inter-breathe with the rain forests, we drink from the oceans. They are part of our own body.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Memorial day weekend! Be back on Tuesday!

Linguine And Red Clam Sauce

For those of you who love pasta, Mediterranean cuisine and clams, here's a scrumptious linguine and clam sauce recipe for you to try out. This sauce has a nice spicy kick to it.

Ingredients;

1 package of linguine

3 tbs olive oil

3 large cloves of minced garlic

5 flat anchovies

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 (6.5oz) cans of chopped clams, with juice reserved

2 ( 14.5) cans diced tomatoes

1 (2 oz) can of sliced black olives

1/2 cup of good quality white wine

1 cup of thinly sliced scallions

1/2 cup chopped basil

Oil from anchovy can

In a large pan cook linguine following the directions on the back of the package. Meanwhile, in another large sauce pan heat oil and saute garlic for one minute. Add anchovies, crushed red pepper, reserved clam juice, two cans of undrained diced tomatoes, olives, wine and oil from the anchovy can.
Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the clams, scallions and fresh basil. Remove from heat and pour over linguine. This dish would pair nicely with a bottle of Chianti.

Zuppa Di Pesce

This is another non vegetarian Mediterranean seafood recipes that's absolutely yummy! Every time I've made this for dinner guests it's been a big hit. This is another must dish to try if your a seafood lover.

Ingredients;

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 medium sized leeks, chopped

2/3 cup fennel

4 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

4 1/2 cups of vegetable stock

1/2 cups of good quality white wine

1 can (14 1/2 oz) tomatoes with juice

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp saffron ( optional)

1 bay leaf

12 clams, washed and scrubbed

8 oz, large shrimp, shelled and deveined

8 oz firm fresh cod fish

minced fresh basil

Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add leeks, fennel, garlic, salt and pepper and saute, stirring occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes. Add wine, stock, tomatoes, thyme, saffron and bay leaf. Bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer the soup covered for 20 minutes.

Add clams to the saucepan once the 20 minutes are up. Cover the pan and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until the clams have all opened up. discard any clams that have not opened. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked clams from the water and place them in a dish covering them loosely with tin foil. Add shrimp and fish to the soup and simmer for 3 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the pan from the stove and discard the bay leaf. Ladle the soup into separate bowls and top each bowl with 3 clams. You can sprinkle some chopped basil on top if desired.

My Wisteria In Bloom

My wisteria trees are in full bloom right now. I have one in my backyard and I planted another one at my front entrance a few years back. People advised me not to plant one by my front door. I did so anyway and I don't regret it for one minute. It's so beautiful to look up at the purple cascading blossoms, while I'm standing under them when walking onto my porch. Here are some photos of my wisteria tree in my front landscape by my red door.

A close up of the wisteria tree at my front entrance.

Garlic Shrimp Ravioli

Even though my blog is basically dedicated to vegetarian recipes, I've decided to add one of my hubbys favorite shrimp and ravioli recipes to my blog. It's pretty easy to make and if your a lover of shrimp, then you have to try out this dish.

Ingredients;

1 lb. of raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of good quality white wine

Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

2 tbs of butter

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Romano cheese

1 package of frozen cheese ravioli

Clean and devein the shrimp then set aside. Meanwhile cook ravioli following the directions on the back of the bag. While the ravioli are cooking, place olive oil and minced garlic in a pan over medium high heat, cook for about one minute or just until garlic becomes fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Once heated add all the rest of the ingredients except for the shrimp and the cheese. Turn the heat to medium and let simmer for about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the shrimp and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes. Do not over cook the shrimp. Add the ravioli and the desired amount of cheese and toss well.

Remove from heat and serve with additional lemon wedges. This dish goes nicely along side of some fresh garlic bread, a fresh bowl of figs and a chilled bottle of pinot grigio.

More Of My Blossoms and Blooms

Here are more blossoms and blooms happening in my yard at the moment.



The blooms are of my bergenias and violets. The blossoms are from my patio peach tree, my star magnolia ( I have a total of 4 star magnolias in my yard) and my apple tree.

THANK GOD FOR CARBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many people have this preconceived notion that all carbs are bad for you. While it's true that white flour and refined sugar products are bad for you due to there lack of nutritional value, whole grain pasta and grains are loaded with all kinds of great nutrients to maintain a healthy body. Following a low carb diet that's high in saturated fat coming from lard, dairy and meat, is extremely unhealthy and cannot be followed for long periods of time without devastating consequences. The key to a healthy low fat diet is eating plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grain pasta, cereals and breads, while keeping dairy and meat consumption to a minimal. Much of our fats should come from oils such as olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocados and cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, and sardines. those who live in the Mediterranean eat these healthy grains, oils, legumes and nuts regularly, and not to forget to mention the loads of fruits and veggies they consume. They also have a much lower rate of heart disease and cancer than those of us who follow the typical high fat American diet loaded with, butters, potato chips, soda, creams, mayonnaise and greasy fast foods.

Below, I have listed a delicious and healthy pasta dish loaded with nutrients and It's very easy to make.

Ingredients;
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 large red bell pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
3 large tomatoes
1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
12 oz box of whole grain pasta
1/2 cup of feta cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Mix zucchini, red pepper and onion with 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a large roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables, stirring every 5 minutes, until tender and browned, 10 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic and the remaining oil in a large bowl and toss together well. Season with salt and pepper. Boil the pasta by following the directions on the back of the box. Once finished, drain the pasta and mix together with the tomatoes. Add the roasted vegetables to the bowl and toss together well. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve, passing the feta cheese separately. This meal would also go nicely with a loaf of fresh Italian bread, but pass on the high fat, artery clogging butter and do as the Romans do; pour some extra virgin olive oil into a small bowl and dip you bread into the oil. You'll get the mono saturated fat your body needs and you'll feel like your dining in the Mediterranean. Enjoy!

My Lilacs In Full Bloom

My lilacs are planted to form a hedge row down my driveway.

A close shot of my lilac blooms

My Lilacs are now in full bloom. They smell so good too. Here where I'm from, there's a festival in our city which celebrates the blooming of lilac bushes. We call it the Lilac festival. It's quite popular. I don't make it to the festival often, because I figure that I can enjoy the thirteen lilac bushes blooming here in my front yard. In 2003, I dug up thirteen suckers from my mother's lilac bush and transplanted them in my front yard. I must say, they have done remarkably well . Today while outside with my son, I decided to snap a few shots of my lilac bushes that are now becoming growing like crazy.

Here is another close up shot of one of my lilac blooms.

My Periwinkle ground cover, which spreads like crazy, but is very pretty.

Buddha's Little Instruction Book

An upright posture and a few relaxed breaths can make a great difference.