Spring Green

March 31, 2015

“To quote another gospel, Dune, by Frank Herbert, ‘Fear is the mind killer.’
To stay mindful, you have to not live in fear.”
~ Stephen Colbert

What if money actually did grow on trees?

Spring is here.  Outside my window, the big tree, barren of leaves for the last three months, has just begun to show new growth.  Its companion, on the other side of the house, went from bear to bull in a much shorter time period.  That tree lost all of its leaves within a few days and, seemingly overnight, was covered again in abundant greenery.

Nature has cycles.  Winter’s landscape is often bare, dry and cold.  Spring follows with seeds and sprouts.  Sweet, ripe fruits and abundant sun fill our summer days.  And the harvest of fall allows us to put aside for the return of winter’s frugality.

If money grew on trees, acorns were chunks of precious metal, and leaves were dollar bills, would we remain faithful, gazing upon winter’s bare branches, of the eventual return of abundance?

Just as our gardens have seasons of plenty and seasons of scarcity, so do our budgets.  Sometimes the tree is green and growing and at other times it appears bare and dry.  Growth is not forever here, nor forever gone.  The same is true for stagnation.  Give thanks for the miracles of each season.

“And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;
And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.”
~ Kahlil Gibran

~~~~~~~~~

Green Fava Bean Falafel is a super yummy twist on the traditional chickpea version.

Green Fava Bean Falafel
Crispy outside, moist and tender inside, these falafel made with tender green fava beans are absolutely delicious all by themselves as snacks or appetizers or inside a pita for lunch.  Trader Joe’s has Italian shelled fava beans in a 14 oz bag in the frozen case.  Let the bag defrost in the fridge overnight, then pinch a hole in each skin and pop it off the bean, discarding the skins.  This takes a bit of time, but its worth it.

14 oz bag of frozen shelled fava beans, defrosted and skinned
(you should have a scant 2 cups after skinning)
1/4 teaspoon dried turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/8 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 cups (or more) vegetable oil for frying

Combine the skinned fava beans, turmeric, paprika, lemon juice, cumin, garlic powder, lemon zest and chives in a blender or food processor.  Process until roughly mashed (you want some of the mixture creamy with some chunky pieces).  Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water to facilitate the blending, but only as much as needed.  Add salt to taste and mix a bit more.

Spoon mixture into a bowl and stir in the flour.  The mixture will seem wet.

Form into small 1-inch sized balls and place on a tray as you go.  Chill balls in fridge for about an hour.

To fry:
Heat enough oil in a small heavy pan with deep sides so that it is about 1 inch deep.  You can test the oil temperature by dropping in a kernel of popping corn.  When it pops, scoop out the popped corn, the oil is ready.  Alternatively, you can insert the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil.  When bubbles form around the spoon and float to the top, the oil is ready.

Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower one ball at a time into the oil.  Hold the slotted spoon with the ball in the oil for about 30 seconds, then drop the ball from the spoon, releasing it fully into the oil.  Only fry about 3 at a time.  If you try to fry too many at once, your oil temperature will drop and the balls may not hold together.

Fry balls until crispy brown on the outside.  Drain on paper towels.

These are delicious by themselves.  You can also serve as a sandwich in a pita with lettuce or sprouts, tomato, mayo, yogurt or tahini sauce and hot sauce.

Makes about 12 falafel.  Serves 3 to 4

Posted in Uncategorized |