From the series: Conversations with Adam: part1.

M = Me, A = Adam

M: Adam, are you hungry?

A: What kind of food we have?

M: I asked only if you’re hungry.

A: But what kind of food we have?

M: I didn’t prepare lunch yet. I just want to know if you’re hungry.

A: I’m going downstairs to see what food we have.

M: Adam, wait. I prepared nothing yet. I asked whether you’re hungry, because if not, I’ll cook something later.

A: I do not know if I’m hungry, maybe yes, maybe not.

M: Grrr. Adam if you’ll find out what’s for lunch, you’ll know whether you’re hungry or not?

A: Yes

M: It means only that you are hungry for what you like and if you don’t like some kind of food very much you are not hungry now?

A: Yes

M: Adam, I’m curious, for what are you hungry 🙂

A: Strawberry cereal with milk and coffee grain (polish grain beverage)

M: Phew, it’s cool. The whole pasta with spinach is for me;-)

A: Woooooooooow, Paaaaastaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!!! I want strawberry cereal with milk, grain coffee and pasta.

M: If you eat my pasta, what with me;-)?

A: You will be hungry

M: Eeeeeeeeeeee, I do not want to be hungry.

A: Well, eventually you can eat pasta (more than I will eat).

Fortunately, the pasta was enough for me and Adam. My son also ate strawberry cereal with milk and drank his grain coffee.

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Millet – potatoes patties

I found this recipe several years ago on one of vegetarian forum

We need:

• 2 cups millet
• water
•  about 2 lb potatoes
• 2 onions
• little wholemeal flour (you can also use bread crumbs)
• salt
• pepper
• oil

Rinse millet in cold water (using mesh strainer). Put into a pot, pour 4 cups water and cook slowly until grain will be soft and you will not see water in a pot. Boil the potatoes and puree, chop onions and saute. Combine all ingredients together, add a little oil, salt and pepper. Shape into patties and coat in flour. Bake at 350 F until golden brown on both sides. Of course you can fry, add the herbs and spices – whatever You like.

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Potatoes

Potato is a perennial belonging to the nightshade family. Beginning of its history to be found in the Andes, where it was domesticated about 8,000 years ago. Potatoes were brought to Europe by conquistadors who in the thirties of the sixteenth century fought for Peru. Potatoes are one of the world’s most important foods today. According to USDA figures, Americans eat about a potato a day. One in every three restaurants meals includes potatoes.

Properties:

• Sweet taste
• Mild diuretic effect
• Contains large amounts of carbohydrates present in the form of sugars
• Reduce inflammations (except in some arthritic conditions)
• Source of complex carbohydrates
• Has a 2% protein
• Contains vitamins

Potatoes juice has antibiotic properties, helps lower blood pressure, and treats stomach and duodenal ulcers. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, enzymes and minerals, also supports the creation of beneficial intestinal flora. Just beneath the skin there are significant amounts of manganese, chromium, selenium and molybdenum.

1 cup baked potato with skin contains 133 calories and:

• Vitamin C – 15.74 mg
• Vitamin B6 – 0.42 mg
• Copper – 0.37 mg
• Potassium – 509.96 mg
• Manganese – 0.28 mg
• Tryptophan – 0.04 g
• Dietary fiber – 2.93 g

From 10 to 50% of a potato’s potassium may be lost during boiling; steaming, baking, and frying do not significantly reduce the potassium.

Warning:

don’t eat potatoes  with sprouts (“eyes”) or any green flesh or skin; thet contain the poisonous alkaloid solanine.

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Sailing song

 

My favorite song (lyrics and music by Jerzy Porębski), performed by Krzysztof Malinowski.

I miss Masuria, sailing and beer in a bar near the port.

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Found on You Tube

You have to know how to get started 🙂

Happy marriage.

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My flowers

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Crazy hair day

Every year in our school is a week in which students may look different than usual, behave differently;-) Last year we had crazy socks day, walking backward day, clothes inserted on the left side day, pajama day, crazy hair day and the pumpkin fund run day (orange day).

This year: on Monday – spirit day (blue, or red, or white). Tuesday was a sport day, on Wednesday was a pajama day, on Thursday was the day crazy hair day on Friday – pumpkin fund run (orange day). It was really cool and original as usually in our school. Music (and PE) teacher took care of good music.

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Whole rye sourdough bread recipe

Bread baking  is not very complicated, but at the beginning may cause some problems. The basis is sourdough. Of course you can bake bread with yeast (faster), although it is worth try a sourdough bread: a healthier, tastier, longer stays fresh.

At the beginning you need sourdough:

Pour handful (can be more) of rye flour into perfectly clean jar (I use to rinse jar with hot water before). Add lukewarm good quality water  (can be boiled), mix well using wooden spoon (consistency of cream). After 12 hours, stir again. After next 12 hours, add handful of rye flour, water and mix. Repeat for several days.

For example:

•  7.00 a.m. – add some whole rye flour, water and stir

•  7.00 p.m. – stir
• 7.00 a.m. next day – add some whole rye flour, water and mix
• 7.00 p.m. – stir etc.

Repeat these steps for the next days to receive a sourdough starter in the appropriate quantity.

After several days sourdough should have apple cider vinegar smell, but not necessarily. If it isn’t stinky, should be OK. The optimum temperature for wild yeast production is 77-86 degrees F. I use paper towel to cover jars with sourdough (protects against dust). You can keep your sourdough starter in the refrigerator up to 7 days without “feeding”.

My sourdough will be 5 years in a couple months:-) Obviously, I treat my starter well 🙂

Whole dark rye flour

You need handful (or more) of flour

Ready to use sourdough starter

Sourdough starter

When Your starter is ready You can bake sourdough bread. For years I use a recipe for bread I found on the polish forum for vegetarian and vegan families.

You need:

• about 1.5 cups of starter (because mine is mature and strong, I use about 1 cup)

• add a cup of flour, a little warm water, stir (consistency of mud) and leave for several hours to rise (you can leave for night).

Note: Always leave some starter for the next bread baking (add flour, water, stir and put to the refrigerator)

1 cup of rye flour

1 cup of sourdough starter

Mix starter and flour

Add some water

Stir

Leave for a couple hours in warm place (it should rise)

After couple hours add:

• 3 cups flour
• lukewarm water (You need mud consistency)

• approximately 2 flat teaspoons of salt (I use 1 teaspoon)
• olive oil

• whatever You like: black cumin, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, raisins, honey, caraway seeds etc.

Ingredients

Bread starter, honey, salt, olive oil

I added some water

and sunflower seeds

Yummy

Put bread into a mold and set aside to rise

White sourdough wheat bread and whole rye sourdough bread

White bread

Rye bread

Rye bread

White bread

Set aside to rise. Bake at 392 F for one hour (in the meantime spray water over your bread). I also spray bread with water before baking (It should help prevent crust breaking). White wheat always rises like crazy, bread with wholemeal flour is heavier, so it is generally smaller.

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What I eat and why I am still alive? ;-)

I am vegetarian for 18 years, but still I hear the question: what exactly do you eat? Well, I am not hungry and not skinny. I eat butter (mainly ghee), honey and occasionally eggs.

Anyway, listen to the answers:

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Pumpkin and sunflower seeds

I have not written for two days 😉 Yesterday I had a doctor appointment in the morning and the children Spanish class by 8.10 a.m. (so I didn’t have enough time), and on Monday I dreamed that I woke up 😉

One of my favorite flower is a sunflower – beautiful, with yellow, brown, or almost orange petals. Even when it rains, light up my day. Every year I try to have some variety in my small garden. Sunflower as you know, applies not only decorative, but also culinary and health benefits. Sunflower seeds have more protein than beef, about 20% fat (mostly unsaturated fat). Seeds are a good source of calcium, phosphorus, iron (they have two times more iron than raisins, regarded as one of the richest in the nature of this micro nutrient sources), and vitamins A, D and E and several of the group B (one of the richest sources of B6 .) Sunflower is helpful in treating constipation. You can make it a paste, add to baked goods (bread, cakes and cookies), sprinkle salads, or added to soups. You can also use sunflower seed instead of nuts (for example in pesto).

In general, before use I wash and roast seeds. Of course it is always better to buy shelled seed (for freshness). Because usually I don’t have enough time I buy hulled (local COOP , where they sell a lot of seeds, so it is fresh). I recommend, really worth it. Take care of your health.

Sunflower seeds 0.25 cup contains (DV %):

• Vitamin E 90.5%

• Vitamin B1 (thiamin) 54.7%

• Manganese 36.5%

• Magnesium 31.9%

• Copper 31.5%

• Tryptophan 31.2%

• Selenium 30.6%

• Phosphorus 25.4%

• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) 24.3%

• Folate 20.5

• Calories (about 205)

Pumpkins make me think of autumn. Their beautiful colors enjoy my eyes on rainy days. Pumpkin soup warms and nourishes the body. Pumpkin seeds are the largest and most expensive seeds. They are from a South and Central American squash that is grown specifically for its seeds. Pumpkin seeds have more protein than many other seeds and nuts (29%), are very valuable source of Omega 3 fatty acids, an excellent source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, vitamin A. They also contain calcium, and some B vitamins. Raw seeds are very helpful in fighting parasites. Pumpkin seeds prevent prostate hypertrophy, so try to eat them regularly, not allowing for the development of the disease; treat acne, make your skin smooth, benefit the hair growth.
0.25 cup contains (DV%):

• manganese 52%

• magnesium 46.1 %

• phosphorus 40.5%

• tryptophan 34.4

• iron 28.7%

• copper 24%

• vitamin K 22.2%

• zinc 17.1%
• calories (about 186)

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