Be Easy. Take Your Time. You Are Coming home.

A poem by Nayyirah Waheed.

Every year, during the month of March, millions of healthy and able adult Bahai’s around the world observe the 19 day Bahai Fast. They/we/me fast by restraining from food and drink between the hours of sunrise and sunset as a way to focus all our thoughts and energies on “meditation, prayer, and spiritual rejuvenation”. Obviously, it takes serious will-power and it isn’t always pretty (or at least not for me). In the past, I have fasted at the Bahai World Centre, amongst hundreds of other Bahais (heaven!), during University (seemingly impossible), whilst working in hospitality (what a tease!) and alone in the remote mountains of Japan (yet with incredible support see HERE). Thankfully, this year I have the support of my family and I am no longer working in hospitality (thank God!). 1 day down, 18 to go! #hangryIf you thought I’d given up on my book a week challenge, you get a brownie ball (see what I did there?) but only because strictly abiding by the weekly time limits was stressing me out. So, I’m still reading and maybe even still a book a week but I’ve lost track of the what and when. Here’s book NO.whocares by a very talented writer. Totally recommend it. So funny and relatable (yes, even to a non-mama).

“The soul is healed by being with children.” ~Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“Grown-ups love figures… When you tell them you’ve made a new friend they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you “What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies? ” Instead they demand “How old is he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make? ” Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.”
~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Preschool day trip to the Canterbury Museum. Has anyone visited the discovery room here?! It is incredible and only $2 to enter! I cannot wait to take Soroosh, and to show him the room with the 100s of beautiful butterflies! 3 months today xx

Seize That Loveliness. It Has Always Been Yours.

Lovely words by Yrsa Daley-Ward and lovely times during this year’s Ayyam-i-Ha – a multi-day festival for Bahá’ís (that’s my religion) which typically falls around the end of February and the beginning of March. Ayyam-i-Ha or Intercalary Days is a period dedicated to being social, hospitable, generous and joyful. In addition, it is a time to prepare for the upcoming Bahá’í fast come March (2nd) though more on that soon!

My vegetable kebab skewers for the non-meat eaters at our community Ayyam-i-Ha sausage sizzle.

A team-building/unity activity featuring sticks and marshmallows (to be eaten post tower construction) for Bahá’í Children’s Classes. 
And, Ayyam-i-Ha cards! Here’s one from me to Soroosh.

My lucky brother-in-law, Andy’s birthday falls on Ayyam-i-Ha. So, for the first time since returning home, I had an excuse to dine out for dinner and to also dress up a little. 
We went to Mish Mash (a restaurant where nothing matches; the plates, cutlery, and menu items are all different). My sister, brother-in-law, and I loved it. My parents did not. But, that is expected because they’re Persian and picky. Actually, I’mma start calling em’ PP.

Super delicious and spicy eggplant dish.

Some prawn and udon edible basket concoction. 
Birthday boy! 
Potato crisps. 
Mom and dad’s shared meal: pulled lamb bruschetta. They didn’t like it because their teeth couldn’t bite through the bread (lol) and the whole meal was cold (how it’s supposed to be).
This is honey glazed carrots topped with crispy bacon bits. We also had dessert. I tried to take a picture but by this time, the sun had set and the lighting was terrible. We shared creme brulee and bread and butter donuts. The latter, super good. Like, unreal.

One Love One Heart

I have only ever fasted in two different environments. One, at home, with mum, dad and my sister where maman would always always prepare a feast of our most favorite Persian dishes: ghormesabzi, beef kebabs, salad olivieh and to finish, orange and saffron syrup cake. We would be gathered around the dinner table with my sister and I’s eyes glued on the wall clock’s face eagerly awaiting the sunset when suddenly, my dad would start chanting a really long prayer that always finished too late! I’d be so mad at him! Making me fast for an extra 5 minutes! Ha, can’t help but laugh at those times today.

And two, in Haifa, Israel where I volunteered at the Bahai World Center. There, 99% of the staff fasted, so as my family home, we all broke the fast, together, in a joyful and vibrant fashion. In Japan, where I live alone in a village with literally no one my age, things are different. I spent the first days of the fast eating dinner by myself which is fine and all and solidarity is important etc etc but compared to the previous years, it was less exciting come sunset. Though last night, Kaori invited me over for Indian! She said, she and her husband, Taka had traveled through the Middle East during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan so she knew how breaking a fast was often celebrated as a social and joyous occasion.

Both Emma and I (see below picture) patiently waited until the sun set with our eyes glued not on the clock but on the rice cooker and ended up eating too much food as always.

We ate 2 different kinds of vegan curry with purple rice, homemade papadum and coleslaw with raisins and cumin. For dessert, we had vegan, gluten and sugar-free chocolate cake. This cake was so freakishly delicious that I’m going to recreate it tonight to take to Akiko and Lifa’s place (Yes! Another family dinner). In other words, the recipe and pictures will feature Saturday.

“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.” -Gwendolyn Brooks

SIX Breakfasts To Keep You Full An Entire Day

Yipee! I have officially completed my first day of the fast and currently eating everything. Just kidding! Not really… Seriously though, it wasn’t that bad and I reckon it’s because I had a really good breakfast. So, without further adieu, the following are my top 5 breakfasts to keep you full an entire day, fasting or not, either way.

1. Bircher muesli (Oats are probably the most filling breakfast food ever. Top with raw nuts and fresh fruit for extra oomph! If you’re feeling adventurous, try my peanut butter and banana variety, HERE.)

2. Chocolate chia-seed pudding (Excuse me while I drool into my keyboard…but in all seriousness, this breakfast is super nutritious and super filling because both chia seeds and raw cacao are incredible SUPERfoods (see what I did there?). Alternatively, for a simple chia pudding, click HERE.

3. A Persian breakfast (Good bread, walnuts for omega 3, good-fat vegetables like avocado, healing herbs like mint and basil and good quality cheese ok maybe not the cheese but shhh! What else could your tumtum wish for?!) Watermelon! Yes, it could wish for watermelon.


4. Banana and blueberry baked oats (Oats, eggs, walnuts, bananas and if you can, blackcurrants over blueberries but all in all, allllllll good!)

5. Black rice pudding (There’s a reason black rice or “forbidden rice” was solely reserved for the emperor back in the day. Tis good shizz. Combine with plant-based “milk”, raw nuts and/or seeds and fresh fruit and I guarantee you’ll stay full). Don’t like black? Rather brown? Das cool, das cool. It’s ok to think like that when it comes to food. Click HERE for a brown rice pudding recipe.
6. Savory oats (a high fiber oatmeal packed with extra protein: a free-range egg, healthy fats: avocado and sunflower seeds, and lots of metabolism kicking chili!)

First Day of Spring

Tis the first day of Spring in Japan (though it’s snowing) and the first day of the Bahai Fast, a body, mind and soul detox, if you will.

For the duration of 19 days, Baha’is around the world fast (abstain from food and drink) from sunrise to sunset. Though a physical act, it’s important not to view fasting as a practice of asceticism nor as a means of penance. Instead, the physical fast is simply “an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God.” This is why Baha’is are taught to use this time as a period of self-reflection, prayer and meditation.

HERE is a light-hearted article which I like, by Rain Wilson who plays Dwight on The Office about it.

Naturally, fasting is hard for everyone and especially food-bloggers (haha) who think of food always! In saying that… fasting might be a bit easier for me now seeing as at this time of year, the days are shorter in Japan than they are in NZ. HA-HA mom and dad! I kid, I kid! But in all truth, it is the difficulty of fasting which makes it so great and personally for me, the thought of millions of others from all walks of life, working on bettering themselves, together.

Now to stop thinking about/obsessing over what I’m going to have for dinner…!

One fruit crumble to rule them all.

It’s safe to say, if I can say so myself, which I can, seeing as this is my blog, that I know how to make a good fruit crumble. And by good, I mean real good. With real ingredients free of dairy, gluten(if you want it to be) and refined-sugar.

Last night, I made said crumble and took it to my dear friend and neighbour, Kaori’s house. Though this has become a recurring habit of ours, nevertheless, it was for a special occasion and that special occasion is Ayyam-i-Ha.

Ayyam-i-Ha, or the Intercalary Days, is a multiple-day Bahá’í festival. It typically falls around the end of February and the beginning of March and is joyously celebrated by Bahá’ís (that’s my religion) in countries and territories all over the world.

It is a period dedicated to being social, hospitable, generous and joyful. In addition, it is a time to prepare for the upcoming Bahá’í fast come March (2nd) though more on that soon!

So, Kaori, her daughter, Emma and I spent last night in yin-yang spirit by consuming a vegan, gluten and refined-sugar-free crumble alongside a huge scoop of budget ice-cream in the same bowl.

Last thing, before I get to the recipe, which I know is why you’re all here anyway, is that this morning, I woke up with a terrible cold and so, was forced to cancel my entire weekend plans. WAH. Nevertheless, it’s giving me some MORE time to work on my blog (as if I don’t harass you all enough) and combine all of my crumble recipes into one neat one, below. Sorry for all the ranting! GO GO GO:

To make the recipe GF, simply use GF oats and ground nuts in place of flour.

Filling:
3 Large apples or pears or a combination, peeled, cored and chopped medium.
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries, blackcurrants or raspberries or a mixture of all.
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp pure vanilla essence

Crumble:
1 cup jumbo oats
1/2 cup of quick oats
1/4 cup of flour (I usually use wholemeal)
1/2 cup of chopped raw nuts of choice (I like walnuts)
1/2 cup of raw seeds of choice (I like pumpkin seeds)
1 tbsp cinnamon
a pinch of each ginger powder, nutmeg and cardamom
1/3 cup of pure maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted.

In a small pot cook the apples/pears with 1/2 cup of water on med-high heat until soft (about 15 min).

Add berries, cinnamon and vanilla essence and continue to simmer for another min or two.

The secret to a crunchy crumble is a relatively “dry” filling so transfer the fruit mixture to a round cake tin with as little of its water as possible. You can drink that (that is if you have any excess liquid) or use it in another recipe, if you will.

Combine all crumble ingredients together in another bowl until nice and sticky.

Assemble on top of fruit.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and crunchy at 180C.

**Do keep an eye out so it doesn’t burn.

Oishi desu yo!