How About A Date With A Date?

If the date growers didn't cover their fruit,
nobody but the birds would ever know how
great they taste.

Legend claims that God created the date palm from the clay still stuck to His hands following the creation of Adam. While scholars claim there is little proof that apple trees ever grew in the Garden of Eden, there is ample evidence that date palms spanned biblical history for their fruit has been found in the tombs of early Egyptians.

They are one of the oldest fruits known to man. In the Middle East, land of their origin, dates have long been a staple food, a "bread of the desert" that has sustained millions who had little else to eat. And while a diet of dates is certainly not recommended, it is claimed that many Mid-Easterners have lived as long as six months solely on dates and milk--and remained in good health while doing so.

Despite being high in calories and low in protein, nutritionists consider dates a valuable food. The slender spheres are a rich source of iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and copper as well as Vitamins A, B1, D, and C. They are low in sodium and fat, high in roughage, easily digested, and contain abundant invert sugars that satisfy the sweet tooth while supplying quick energy in a natural and healthful way.

There are more than 100 kinds of dates, though generally only two classifications: bread dates and soft dates. The bread dates can withstand more handling and are usually what's available at the grocery store. The soft dates are so fragile they are seldom shipped long distances, though as luck would have it, they are also the most delectable--a naturally sweet treat that sets the mouth watering and the eyes rolling heavenward.

Most people prefer their dates mixed in cakes, cookies, breads, shakes, or stuffed with nuts and rolled in coconut. True aficionados often make a yearly trek to Indio, California--the nation's date capital. The best time to go is during the mid-February Date Festival. Our family attended the festival for many years in a row, hauling our trailer with us and staying over in an adjacent football field allotted towards visitor parking. We always made it a two-day event simply because there was so much to see and do, let alone all those dates to sample.

My family's favorites have always been the Medjool and Barhee and Zahidi, with the Medjool coming in right at the top. The soft dates are easily found in Southern California because we are so close to the growing fields and I have to say that having to use the traditional grocery store dates after tasting what I know a date can really be, is a choice I use grudgingly. And while the kids and grandkids are now all grown and my husband has passed on, I no longer trek to the desert for my soft dates. I just buy them at my local Farmer's Market and stock up while they last because I know that once May or June rolls around, they'll all be gone and I'll have to use the boxed ones from the grocery store--as I did in the following recipe. Any way I look at it, I figure this ancient bread of the desert is good for my vegan body--regardless of what name it has.

SPINACH, ORANGE, DATE, AND SUNFLOWER SEED SALAD

1 package pre-washed baby spinach or arugula

1 large can of mandarin oranges (save the juice)

1 cup of chopped dates

1/2 cup of roasted sunflower seeds

My sunflower seeds were unroasted and unsalted. I put them in a dry pan on the stove top, sprinkled a bit of salt on them and let them roast about 5 minutes with the heat on low-medium. Your nose will tell you when they're done. Do not let them burn or you'll have to start over.

Put one bag of pre-washed baby spinach into a large bowl. Toss in the drained mandarin oranges and dates. Reserve the sunflower seeds until the salad is dressed. Then toss them in and mix everything together.

For the dressing:

1 cup olive oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbs. lime juice
2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

This recipe makes a double batch. You can use a food processor or a whisk. I simply used a whisk. Didn't feel like dragging the FP out of its cupboard. Lazy today.

Medjools have quickly become the date of choice for date lovers. They are the largest of the readily-available fruits, often quite plump and as long as a small woman's little finger. They are gooey and caramelly, tasting more like a forbidden treat than something that's good for our bodies.

Soy Chorizo Burrito Blah

Chorizo is spicy and rich with seasoning. Soy chorizo is rich with the same seasoning, but flat without that greasy pig fat. There I said it. The grizzly truth why people enjoy eating meat. Some of us have vivid memories of our carnivore natures. Humanity developed eating animals; therefore, one cannot deny millions of years of survival instinct. Let alone the pleasure coded into our collective, which craves fatty foods. This is why I am only a part time vegan, which of course isn't one at all.

Why do I aspire to become one? It's my survival instinct. Our super sized food industry provides too much, too cheap, and way too convenient. It tricks us into obesity. Our bodies and the earth are paying a high price for this fragile and transient global buffet. Man made feed unnaturally cobbled together from corn, hormones, and antibiotics fill the caged livestock's bellies. They live and die in dreadful conditions. Massive, unhealthy, polluting mega cow, pig, chicken farms affect our land, water, and air. How long before our DNA becomes encoded with genetically modified corn. You are what you eat, right?

I grew up eating burritos. Ever since the seventies, flour tortillas were exchangeable with bread for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In conjuring all the wonderful Mexican eateries in my town, I think chorizo is usually paired with potatoes, rather than rice. So I set off to cooking up some spuds, mixed with onions and garlic. Chopped potatoes into small pieces. Simmered or steamed them for 10 minutes or so (not fork tender yet). In one batch I added frozen spinach and chopped onions. In another I threw in a can of diced green chilies after sauteing the potatoes with onion and garlic. Both needed plenty of salt and pepper, cook until potatoes are tender, onions are translucent. In a separate skillet I fried the soy chorizo. Maybe if you drown this stuff in olive oil, greasy goodness can be imbued into the soy crumbles. I only used one tablespoon. Next time I will use two or three. Maybe even experiment with different oils: peanut oil, grape seed oil, or coconut oil?
I consider burritos a fast food. You can put anything in them, raw, canned, or cooked. The spinach, potato and soyrizo lunch burrito seemed a little bland, but wholesome and filling. I had high hopes for the green chili, potato, soyrizo burritos for supper too. WaWhaaaah.(trombone sound effect). Also a bit bland, yet hardy and warm in the belly. Do add avocado or asparagus or something to enrich this recipe.

Lighten Up!

It's a theme in my life lately. Some people in my life who love me have been reminding me to'lighten up!". Good advice. Like everyone else I sometimes take myself too seriously. As one friend reminded me, you don't want to go through life always looking like a deer caught in the headlights. A travel blogger friend of mine posted today about making choices about how you are going to live your life and the importance getting out of your own way and living the life you want. This is a wise lady. She seems to always have a smile on her face and an intense love of life.

Sunday is my day to visit a local farm to purchase fresh produce and eggs. It is owned by a young couple who work like mad and are living their dream. They are into growing organic vegetables and raising livestock and chickens. Everyone in their "right" mind who had anything to do with farming tried to dissuade them from being farmers. It's a lot of work for little return. But it is their dream and they went for it. And they are happy. And you are happy for them! They are the coolest thing since the post it note! And I am getting organic farm fresh produce freshly picked today in the middle of January. The middle of January!

So what does this have to do with eating vegan? Maybe not so much. But on the way there I was listening to A Prairie Home Companion and today was joke day. Garrison Keiler stated today that while everyone was calling for more civility in lieu of recent events in Arizona, that he thought what we needed was to be telling each other more jokes. You can't argue with that. And, some of the jokes were vegan jokes. Hilarious! And really, how many times have you met a humorless vegan? Lot's I bet.


So, here goes. Vegan jokes. I am going to lighten up!

-Why did the tofu cross the road?

To prove he wasn't chicken.

-How can you tell who is vegan at a dinner party?

Don't worry, they will tell you.

-What does a vegan zombie eat?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiinnnnnnnnnnnsssssssssss

-Did you hear about the vegan cannibal?

He only ate swedes!

-How many vegans does it take to change a light bulb?

None. They can't change anything!

-A vegan guy is shopping at Whole Foods and takes his little canvas tote to the checkout line where an attractive young lady checks out his purchases. She notices that his bag contains one apple, one orange, one cereal bar, one pound of tofu and one can of V8. She looks up at him and asks "Are you by any chance single?" Vegan guy can't believe his luck and thinks he is about to score. "Why yes actually, I am single. What makes you think that?" She says, "Because you are so f__king ugly".

-Why does vegan cheese taste bad?

Because it hasn't been tested on mice.

-What is the vegan's favorite pickup line?

"If I said you had the body of an all natural,organic living, animal loving, environment nurturing,whale saving sex machine, would you hold it against me? Please?"

And if you ever see me looking like a deer caught in the headlights or taking myself too seriously, go ahead and give me a good swift kick in the ass!