Comfort Food

I've been thinking about the food I eat pretty intensely since I watched the documentary Earthlings (available to watch free online).  I realize that living in modern America I have the luxury of eating food as it pleases me, for my own comfort, rather than viewing food as a source of nutrition and survival as people of other places and time have had to. 

The thing that really frustrates me is that my primary reason for killing animals is comfort.  Somehow, we have separated the acts of killing and eating, but that doesn't make them any less connected.  Certainly, I shouldn't gain comfort from killing, right?

I don't claim to have anything figured out.  Seriously.  But I want to move in the direction of compassion and awareness.

So to do my tiny little part today, I'm sharing with you two things.  First, the recipe for my new comfort food- it's healthy, yummy, and plant based.  And for a limited time, a 40% discount in my shop when you use the code EARTHLINGS.  Most of my patterns are animals, and I think if we're going to teach our children to love animals, we should mean it all the way, right?  Ideally, I'd love for you to go watch the movie before you use the code, but I'll leave that up to you.  Or if you've already gone vegan, take it as my hat tip to you. :)

"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites, or women for men." - Alice Walker

Fried Rice
To make fried rice it's best to use leftover rice.  I make a large pot of rice at the beginning of the week, and use portions throughout the week.  I don't have exact measurements for the rice, or any of it, come to think of it.  Making the rice ahead of time, makes this a healthy, plant based meal that comes together in under 10 minutes.  Here's what I do:

Heat a TBSP or so of oil in a skillet and sautee minced garlic, minced ginger, and chopped onions.  Add any of the following veggies:  sugar snap peas, diced carrots, frozen peas, sliced red or orange peppers, mushrooms, bean sprouts, broccoli, or whatever else you like.  (When cooking with the kids, I often omit the onions and only use kid-friendly veggies like peas and carrots.)

When the veggies are cooked to your liking (not over cooked), add the cold cooked rice to the hot pan along with some soy sauce.  Stir, and then let it sit still a minute so it gets crispy on the bottom.  Then stir some more and repeat.

Presto! Serve it to toddlers with a spoon for less rice on the floor. :)