grilled broccolini and cauliflower

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A ‘word’ spoken from the heart of the hermit, as from the Holy Spirit, in the language of the desert, is considered revealed and authentic and the one who requests it, receives it as the fruit of Grace, without elaborating on it in his mind. This ‘word’ from the spiritual father is absolutely necessary for the one who asks. The ‘word’ comes from a soul which is the friend of God, wounded by the love of God, and is spoken in accordance with the measure of ‘thirst’ of the one who asks. As the Holy Mother of God, conceived the Word of God and gave birth to the Theanthropos Christ, becoming therefore the ‘joy of all creation’ in the same way, do the Fathers, because of their purity, conceive the word and transmit it to those who thirst for it, becoming for them their joy…

A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain : Metropolitan Of Nafpakos Hierotheos

Fasting for our family these days needs to be an effort in absolute simplicity. If I find I have a lot of time, I will make something that requires for time, but mostly I find myself making tapas style meals for dinner. Leftovers mixed with side dishes and meals prepared the same day. It’s how my German family eat. Dinner is a simple affair – because that is also the time of day when I am getting a little tired.

This Grilled Broccolini and Cauliflower has pine nuts that give it a little nuttiness and goes nicely with the caramelization on the veggies. It is a great side dish because you can grill it in the oven while you prepare the rest of the evening meal.

Grilled Broccolini and Cauliflower with Pine Nuts

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 3 bunches of broccolini
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic minced
  • pinch of celtic sea salt
  • pinch of pepper
  • 4 tablespoons pine nuts

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 350F
  • Wash and cut cauliflower into bite sized florets
  • Wash and cut off ends of broccolini (I cut them up and freeze them to use later in mashed potatoes)
  • Place olive oil, pepper, salt and minced garlic in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Add cauliflower and broccolini to the large bowl and toss to coat evenly.
  • Place vegetables on a large cooking pan and place in preheated oven.
  • Place pine nuts evenly in a saute pan over low heat. Stir constantly until fragrant and a little toasted. Not more than 10 minutes.
  • Bake for 45 minutes or just until the edges get a little crispy and brown..
  • Remove cooked veggies from oven and place in serving dish.

Enjoy!


Lenten panang curry sweet potato soup

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Lenten sweet potato curry soup

If we want Jesus to dwell in our heart, let us love and humble ourselves like Christ.

Elder Ephraim : Counsels from the Holy Mountain

This Panang Curry soup was borne out of no idea of what to make for dinner, and of a well stocked pantry. It’s very simple and just a handful of ingredients. Most people think because of my background in nutrition that I have always got a meal plan for the coming week. That’s not always the case (would that it were!). Often I am overcome by events – especially with homeschooling and just life in general with teenagers. What can I say.

But one thing I do well is clean out the temptations of a non- Lenten pantry and fill in its place lots of Lenten staples. This allows us to throw a Lenten dinner together in a pinch and that’s usually where I have found myself these last few years – in a pinch to throw dinner together.

Last nights soup was so delicious – I had to share. And all with just five ingredients.

Lenten Panang Curry Coconut Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

  • 3 sweet potatoes
  • 2 cans coconut milk
  • Panang curry paste – like maessri panang curry paste (it’s worth ordering online if you do not have a Thai market near you
  • salt
  • water to achieve desired consistency

Preparation

  • Wrap sweet potatoes in foil and place in a preheated 350F oven. Bake until tender. About 1 hour
  • remove sweet potatoes from foil, cut in half and scoop out sweet potato meat
  • place in a sauce pan and add all but two tablespoons of coconut milk
  • using an electric beater or electric blending wand blend sweet potato and coconut milk.
  • Add 1-2 tablespoons of curry paste. Blend again. You are looking for a silky smooth consistency.
  • add 1 /2 cup water or enough to achieve desired thickness
  • Simmerer until hot. Add salt to taste. Drizzle with remaining coconut milk and serve.

Wishing you every blessing this Lent!

A few notes about curry paste: the supermarket has many brands like A Taste of Thai and others. These fine curry pastes but they lack the intensity and depth of flavor of curry pastes that you will find in an Asian market. I find when I use supermarket brands I need to add A LOT more paste to get the flavor.

A few thoughts about preparing fasting foods: Especially with Lenten food, my kids always tell me they want to eat foods that are meant to be Lenten, rather than fake hamburgers and fake hot dogs… not that we don’t eat those occasionally, its just that they leave us craving real hamburgers and real hot dogs… so I try to make our food taste flavorful and good. Quality spices make a big difference. What I have found in visiting monasteries is their Lenten cuisine is very delicious and so it’s alright to make our foods at home delicious too. Its our offering to our families, nourishing them and blessing them with a good meal.