Part of my Life List challenge to try 100 new recipes ~ #5 Spiced Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk
I first saw this on Felicity Weller & had to immediately try it for myself. And I'm so glad I did. This recipe was an absolute winner, & I'll be making it many, many more times in the future.
This is the recipe, although I made a few slight changes out of necessity. I used brown lentils rather than green, added a little tumeric and curry powder, rather than one or the other, used lemongrass from a jar, left out the cardamom (my man is not a fan), & used powdered nutmeg rather than fresh. I only had a small handful of fresh baby spinach so I added some frozen spinach as well. And, obviously, I used dessicated coconut rather than flaked.
We ate this with our favourite garlic & coriander roti on the side. One of the most delicious meals I've eaten in a while. This soup is very similar to a dahl, though a little sweeter. Even better ~ the leftovers the next night. The flavours were perfect, & the lentils had soaked up the excess liquid. We added some greek yoghurt, which worked perfectly.
Seriously, you need to make this for your dinner tonight. Deliciousness!
~ Friends who are willing to help you out when you need it, & expect nothing in return.
~ Watching Kowhai smile in her sleep.
~ I left Koko with her Granny On Wednesday afternoon & took myself on a date. I went to see Pitch Perfect, which was great, bought myself popcorn & soda, & completely blissed out. It was a much needed recharge. Although I have had No Diggity stuck in my head ever since. I can't decide if this is Wilder or Tamer.
~ Pikelets for breakfast.
TAMER
~ Paul Henry apologists.
~ Maggots.
~ Prowlers.
~ Holiday weekend road tolls.
~ 'Saints & Angels' parties for Halloween. I love that Halloween is about embracing the sinister & the scary. If you're not into that then just ignore the holiday altogether, which is pretty easy to do here in New Zealand.
4 Little Ways To Show People You Love 'Em. Although sometimes, when Christmas is coming up & you know your beloved bro-in-law is notoriously bad at buying presents for your sister, you say "Hey dude, there's a Loudon Wainwright album in Evil Genius at the mo'. She'd love that." And he replies "I've got it covered." And then your sister gets a can opener for Christmas. TRUE STORY.
Sooo relevant! Put a Bird on that Manifest Destiny Tee: Some Thoughts on Eco-Grief, Hipster Racism, and the Series of Indigenous Tubes. (via Alice) "We need to find ways – as individuals, as families, as educators, as learners, as communities, as nations, settler and Indigenous – to enter back into our shared histories and landscapes. Bad birds on cute hats and Pocahottie costumes come from the same place: impoverishment (of knowledge and context and experience) combined with privilege, be it corporate, racial, urban, or otherwise."
I am seriously considering buying Luxirare's Leather Scarf. If only it weren't so pricey! Perhaps I'll have a go at a DIY version.
This girl = my new hero. Omaha schoolgirl dresses as a different historical figure each day. "Neither parent supplies the costumes or the ideas. They just roll with what Stella wants to do and support her, grateful that she's emulating stories and strength, not beauty."
This Sikh woman is my new hero. (via The Lady Garden) "...baptized Sikhs believe in the sacredness of this body – it is a gift that has been given to us by the Divine Being [which is genderless, actually] and, must keep it intact as a submission to the divine will. Just as a child doesn’t reject the gift of his/her parents, Sikhs do not reject the body that has been given to us. By crying ‘mine, mine’ and changing this body-tool, we are essentially living in ego and creating a seperateness between ourselves and the divinity within us."
Almost equal is almost bullshit. Sarah-Rose's submission in support of the Marriage Amendment Bill is fantastic, as expected. "I feel like my marriage is weakened by the fact that those I love who are in same-sex relationships cannot share in this institution. Marriage will be made stronger by making it free."
Did you read The Baby-Sitters' Club series as a kid? I did. And in every single story there was a description of Claudia Kishi's outfit. Some brilliant women kicked off the #kishi twitter hashtag for people to talk about what they're wearing a la Claudia. It's pretty fun. This sums it up for me pretty well.
I'm not at all familiar with the story or music of Les Miserables, but after watching this I am really excited for the movie. I'm always disappointed when really talented singers in TV & movies are lip-synching, so knowing that all the singing has been filmed live is awesome. (via Morgue)
Hey, Menfolk! Francis from The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra has some fashion advice for you. "If someone suggests that you not wear something, listen to there reasoning, evaluate it, politely thank them for their opinion and then completely ignore it."
Yes! The moral case for sex before marriage. (via The Lady Garden) "We'd be a lot better-off if we recognized that sex is incredibly important to a lot of people, and, for most couples, sexual compatibility is necessary for a great marriage. You really can't tell if you're sexually compatible unless you have sex. The insistence that premarital sex is dirty or perverse makes it a whole lot harder to have necessary conversations. And a worldview that positions sex as shameful and bad also isn't going to evaporate on your wedding night."
Where has my little girl gone? doesn't tell us anything we don't already know about the early sexualisaton of young girls, but it does give some really good tips on things parents can do to combat this.
I'm not at all familiar with Seanan McGuire or her work, but I like her response to being asked when her female characters would be raped. (via Moata Tamaira) "Velveteen brings toys to life and uses them to fight the powers of darkness. Sarah is a hot mathematician who looks like Zooey Deschanel but is actually a hyper-evolved parasitic wasp. The unrealistic part about all these characters? Is that they haven't been raped."
