Get your own Bowl !

My Bowl stories begin more than five decades ago in Kolkata, India. Mom would pick me up from school and we would have lunch together . The lunch would be traditional India...curried lentils, rice, vegetables, pickle and relish but the special item would be the bowl! Medium large brass metal bowls. Very wide and shallow, almost like the pasta bowl. I guess many , many years later the bowl has resurfaced in my life with so much more than childhood memories! Cupping the bowl of food in my hands gets me connected to the food. This food will nourish my mind, my body and my spirit!! It helps me honor the fact that the Universe and I are One ! And so I see The Universe in my bowl !!

I started my Sunday by talking to my Mum and got Bowled over. So the pasta got Bowled and spice whispered!! Enjoy the idea!

The pasta = penne pasta with a Kumato pesto The cauliflower = cauliflower in a lemon, garlic and black pepper broth The carrots, crimini mushrooms and green bell pepper = olive oil and bishop weed ( ajwain ) The fresh tomatoes= fresh tomatoes, feta and will be adding some fresh tarragon!!

The best idea of the bowl is that one can create their own special pasta bowl !!

Don't kill them !

I am always bothered about making strawberry jam! We take the farm fresh, vitamin loaded strawberries. Then add sugar and cook and cook and cook till we have jam for the year !! This process unfortunately kills a lot of the nutrients and ends up with too much sugar! Here is my 5 minute method of fresh tasting, healthy strawberry jam!

1 Cup fresh strawberries, washed and hulled 2 Tablespoons chia seeds

Put the two ingredients in the blender. Purée. Refrigerate for several hours to gel. Enjoy! This jam will need to be refrigerated . Uses:

I love having this in my breakfast cereal. Make your own fruit yogurt by adding a dollop to your plain yogurt. Great with scones. Makes a great strawberry vinaigrette.

Need I go on.