Three Ways to Fulfilment

a different kind of kitchen adventure

three ways to fulfilment

Food is happiness. Isn't it? Comfort food is something just about everyone is familiar with. Few of us eat to survive alone; we also eat to be sociable, to create a sense of togetherness, of community ~ and to find a sense of being fulfilled.

Being happy.

Do you resonate?

I certainly do ~ to a degree. For would it surprise you, that more often than not, the cooking gives me more fulfillment than the eating?

Sure, eating generates a hysical sense of fullness, fulfillment ~ food fills up the hole so many of us carry inside. And not eating makes that feeling worse ~ that sense of hunger that is not at all physical.

So we eat.

So do I eat.

And yet ... if nothing else, this week has shown me, beyond doubt, that the creating is more fulfilling than eating ~ is actually fulfilling, on all levels.

Eating may nourish the body.

Cooking nourishes my soul.

And so here are three ways to fulfilment:

Nourish the Body, Ground your Energy

gentle comfort, nourish the body

In the way of magic, three by three, this cold-weather-comfort-dish came together over three days, out of three (main) ingredients:

1. ingredient: starchy root vegetables ~ parsnips and potatoes (5 + 2)

It was Monday, and the day at the office had been ... hm. Energetically off. I returned home feeling rather strange, especially around the head. Thre was a contemplation on how to work with that.

There was also a feeling sense of wanting to cook something with all the parsnips in my fridge. Because I wanted to, and also because they needed to be cooked up, and also I needed food. Would need. At some point.

So when I came home, while the dinner was warming up, I chopped up five parsnips and two small potatoes, and while I had dinner, they cooked. I added (too much) salt, pepper, and nutmeg, plus about 100ml of plant-based milk, and then I blended everything with a handheld blender.

2. ingredient: dried peas

These, admittedly, I had also prepared on Monday evening: washed and put in a small pot with lots of water, to soak overnight.

So on returning Tuesday evening, feeling slightly less awful than Monday, but still in energetic discomfort, I warmed up dinner and cooked the peas.

Also, the parsnip-potatoe-blend was very nice as a spread on toasted gluten-free bread.

3. ingredient: 3 carrots, in 3 colours

Three times three, there is something speaking to me. Maybe to you as well? What does numerology tell you?

So, to complete the dish I felt wanted to be made, I washed and chopped up three carrots, of three different colours: one a dark yellow, one the standard orange, and one red carrot. These I cooked in a bit of water, for about 10 minutes or so ~ I had chopped them into small pieces, so they were done quickly.

And then I stirred all three things together: parsnip-mash, peas, and carrots.

I was strongly reminded of a staple lunch during childhood, which was potatoe mash with sweet peas and carrots. Though not all mixed toegher, like I did here. But it felt good to blend these three, and so there it is: a hearty, comforting dish for cool days, that will ground your energy and nourish your body.

Is nice both hot and cold as a (side) salad, actually.

So, that took me up to ... Thursday, I believe? Might have been Wednesday, though. I actually, really don't remember ~ Wednesday was the first day of the Faciltator Development Conference, and things tend to get ... hazy ... during these, due to the intense deep energy work we do.

What I do remember, though, is that Thursday included one-on-one facilitations, I ended up as one of the "clients", and moved a lot of energy in the process. So when Firday dawned, I was not only tired and achy ~ but feeling decidedly out of sorts. Something needed to be done ~ meaning, I needed to do something about the feeling, with the feeling, something that was not sitting and meditating with it.

So I went into my kitchen. And started chopping veggies.

And so here is the second way to fulfilment:

The Higgledy-Piggledy Casserole, Activate Creativity

higgledy-piggledy casserole, activate creativity

There was left-over non-dairy cheese from last weeks cheezy fries in the fridge.

That was the starting point for this dish. There was leftover cheese, and I wanted to make something with it.

I contemplated the contents of fridge and pantry. And slowly, the idea for this casserole came together: There was cabbage in the fridge and red pepper ~ use up half of each, chopped small, mixed together. Also: carrot ~ I had a lot, and why not?

Chickpeas, that I had pre-cooked a while ago, for protein.

The base layer: one or two big potatoes, cut into thin slices lengthwise. The top layer: one or two sweet potatoes, cut into slices crosswise.

So I started out, washing potatoes and sweet potatoes. (Because I never peel them a) too lazy and b) lots of nutrients in and under the skin.) Sliced the first potato and laid them out in my casserole dish. Turned out, one potato was enough.

(What am I doing with the second potato?)

Chopped up half the cabbage, and then realised that somehow, an onion needed to go in there, so cut an onion into rings and laid them on top of the potato.

Followed by the chopped up cabbage. Some salt, pepper, paprika, and curry powder followed.

... look, I had no idea whether that would work or not, tastewise. I simply went with feeling into the spices, and the colours, and added what I felt fit. It is certainly an interesting combination, but actually: not a bad one, at all!

I ended up using only about a third of the pepper, it was so massiv. A medium sized carrot (also only washed, not peeled, same as above). The whole jar of chickpeas went in, and then I added the sclied sweet potato.

Again, one was enough.

I poured some plant-based milk over the whole of it, enough to drown the potato slices at the bottom, put the id on, and put the casserole in the overn for about 25 minutes, at 220°C - then took the lid of, sprinkled the cheese on top, and put the whole thing back in the oven for another 8 - 10 minutes, until cheese was sufficiently melted.

So, at that point, there was a delicious-smelling casserole dish on y cooling rack, I had a potato and one sweet potato washed and ready to go, and the act of cooking this dish ~ the chopping of vegetables, the feeling into spices and seasonings, the assembling and reassembling the whole thing in my mind ~ had stirred creativity and allowed expression.

In other words, I was feeling better, renergised, almost rested, actually.

How amazingly fulfilling an experience: to cook something. To create something. To have t all come together ~ and then smell so nice!

And because I was feeling better, had more ingredients ready to go and also some more time before the next session of the Facilitator Conference began:

I added the third way to fulfillment:

Joyfully Stir-fried, Stepping Into the Unknown

A Joyous Sparks classic, if you wish: the vegetable stir-fry.

This time, though, even if this kind of dish is something I cook regularly, and even though I had all ingredients more or less ready ~ it was a step into the unknown. Because, well, I started actually cooking it before the dish had fully assembled itself in my mind.

Like, I don't often need a recipe, anymore, these days. I simply hold ingredients in my consciousness, until the aligned way of combining them clicks together in my mind. And then I start chopping, and once everything is chopped: cooking.

This time? Well, there was half a cabbage, and one each of washed potato and sweet potato. Not really thinking about what to create, I started chopping them up.

Oh, an onion!

Then a clove of garlic.

I began sautéing the onion, shortly after followed by the garlic.

Meanwhile realised there was enough red pepper left, so chopped up another third or so into small pieces.

Potato pieces went into the pan.

Chopped up a carrot.

Added cabbage to the pan, short followed by the rest of the vegetables.

All the while thinking what to do for protein. I felt like lentils, but on the other hand couldn't be bothered to cook lentils. Dug through my pantry cupboard, but no miraculous can of brown lentils manifested.

Was hit by sudden realisation: red lentils! I can cook these together with the rest of the veggies!

So even though the idea was to stir-fry the veggies all the way, half-way through the direction changed, with lentils and water, and then the lid on top, for the whole thing to cook.

About 15 minutes, I believe? I didn't check the time. Until the potato was one.

Added juice of half a lemon (so many lemons in my fridge ...), and then half a jar of Tom Yum sauce, which I had rescued at the grocery store.

And so, it all came together beautifully. With only the vaguest of ideas, changing direction half-way through, and right until the end no real feeling of what it was I was creating.

Huh. I don't seem to be able to put this adequately into words. But maybe you can feel it, in the energy.

It felt like pure magic, pure alchemy, cooking this dish. One step after the other, into the Unknown.

The Unknonw, my friend, is delicious. Well worth the adventure.

The goes for the dish, too, by the way.

And so, I ave come to the end of sharing three ways to fulfillment.

Actually, I might need to add a fourth: Because writing this up, sharing the journey, the exploration, the learnings and realisations ~ that, too, is Fulfilment.

Thank you for being on this journe with me.