Vietnamese summer rolls

This season is all about Mindfulness - so it’s being aware in everyday activity like eating, drinking, walking, breathing, washing dishes etc. I was reading a book on The art of living written by Thich Nhat Hanh. So he is a Vietnamese global leader teaching about appreciating every moment and every meal, how all living things are interconnected in a simple way. His emphasis on finding joy in the present moment and the power of a mindful/compassionate mind is amazing to read. Though hard to practise immediately - gradually we can get there. He says ‘There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way’!

So we decided to indulge on a Vietnamese dish to celebrate ‘The art of living’! Here we go - 

 Vietnamese summer rolls are an ideal dish for mindful eating - as it involves fresh ingredients, art of rolling process just enough to pliable and not to tear the rice paper. This helps our mind to focus on the task and be in the present moment. We decided to have a weekend DIY meal over the gadgets meal - so we chose our own ingredients with fresh salad veggies, tofu, vermicelli and herbs. This got us freshness and happiness together as a family!

Ingredients

• Super thin rice noodles boiled and cooled
• Mint finely chopped
• Coriander leaves finely chopped
• Red pepper thin strip
• Carrot thin strips
• Cucumber thin strip
• Shallow fry firm tofu cubes/strips
• Rice paper
• Bean sprouts (i prefer steamed)

Method

• To prepare the rolls, firstly pour hot water in a shallow dish. Place the rice paper in the water for 10 sec and carefully remove it and place it on a chopping board.
• Next at the bottom of the paper, layer the noodles, veggies, tofu, sprouts and herbs according to your choices. You can also add a dash of spicy ketchup here.
• Gently fold over once and tuck in the edges. Continue rolling until the seam is sealed.
• Place the seam side down on a serving place and cover with a damp cloth to keep it fresh. Repeat the same steps until all the fillings are done.
• Serve it as a healthy snack or a light meal with peanut sauce or any other spicy ketchup/sweet chilli sauce.

 

Pumpkin Brocoli Soup

Food prepared with love tastes like happiness! Likewise eating mindfully lets us feel it - eating slowly, taste fully without any gadget distractions (biggest challenge in this age) brings us that happiness through food. When we honour the food on our plate, we honour the earth, the hands that made it and the life it gives us! So lets enjoy the calmness and reflect on this tasty yet healthy soup for a supper night!

Ingredients

Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp

Garlic - 4 pods

Onions sliced - 1

Walnuts -3

Black pepper powder - 1 Tbsp

Pumpkin - 200 gms

Broccoli - 200 gms

Salt to taste

Water - 500ml

Milk - 300ml

Method

Chop the Pumpkin, Broccoli and Onions.

In a pan add Oil and saute garlic, Onions until slightly brown.

Then add Walnuts, and Pepper. To this add the Pumpkin and Broccoli - saute for 2/3 minutes.

Add Salt and Water - mix well. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.

Then let this cool. Once it cooled, blend the mixture into a smooth paste.

Add this back in a pan with the milk and bring it to boil.

Switch off the heat and ready to serve the hot delicious soup with the choice of your bread!

We decide to slow down and savour every bite……deliciousssoooooo:):)!