This recipe makes quite a bit, but it keeps nicely for later!

1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 – 1  teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
Sea salt to taste

Mix and sprinkle over whatever (I use a spray of olive oil for items that are dry to make it stick). Store in a ziplock bag or tupperware.

Photo by Olga Nohra

Tonight, I thinned my radish plants, again. I didn’t enjoy it.

I don’t like thinning plants. It feels like waste to me. It feels like  plant homicide. In a word: boo.

But, it’s necessary. My radish plants are not even very big yet, but already I could see the difference between the plants that were further apart and those that were clumped together. The plants that had more room had stronger looking, thicker stems, and they were a little taller. The plants that were very crowded had extremely thin stems, and when I pulled them, they had barely rooted at all.

It’s that way for us, too. We have to be willing to pare away some things if we want to be strong and healthy. Sometimes it’s bad habits or unhealthy patterns we need to thin away. Other times, it’s memories of hurt, anger, or shame that are holding us back, but that we haven’t quite let go of yet. Maybe it’s people or relationships that are not beneficial to us or to the others involved. It could even be things in our lives that we don’t need (physical things, like too many doodads to dust).

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

We all do this. It’s nothing to be ashamed of (because, really, that would just become another radish plant in your already crowded patch), but it’s something to know and to be willing to examine in our lives, so that we can take steps to thin away what isn’t serving us.

Looking for something delicious, savory, spicy, and filling? This might just be the recipe you need!

Ingredients
2-3 T olive oil
1 red pepper diced
1 green pepper diced
1 onion diced (or 2 if small)
2-3 stalks of celery sliced
1 large zucchini diced (peel optional)
1/2 lb of black beans
3 cups water
1 large can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
3 T cumin
2 T chili powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 bag frozen corn
1 1/2 cups brown rice
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Process

Cook black beans using your preferred method (I like the pressure cooker) and set aside. Canned is another option. Pour olive oil in large skillet and heat to medium high. Add diced vegetables and sauté approximately 10 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add water, spices, and cooked beans and bring to a boil. Add rice. Simmer on medium heat for 30-40 minutes or until water is absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with vegan sour cream and/or avocado.