How are those New Years’ resolutions holding up?
I didn’t make any because, as I like to say, I am on a constant journey of self-improvement. My husband wishes I would hurry up and get there already.
One of the ways I’m trying to improve is by learning balance. And not to feel guilty about it. That’s the hard part.
Would you want to punch me in the face if I said that before we went on vacation I found myself googling “How to not feel guilty about going on vacation”? (I fully intend to take your answer into consideration before I acknowledge whether or not that actually happened.)
One of the things I guiltlessly did on vacation was ready lots of trashy magazines. Then I tried to start a book, but quit and went and bought more trashy magazines.
I love you, friends, but for those who suggested The Hunger Games, what about a young girl getting exiled and forced to hunt other children to the death says, “Fun beach read!” to you?
Of course, reading trashy magazines somehow turned into recipe developing. Who knew magazines had recipes behind the gossip and the only crossword puzzles I’ll ever actually complete? Recipes like paella.
So I took out the seafood. And replaced it with some vegetables. Then I took out the rice. And replaced it with some more vegetables. All garnished with a healthy dose of vegetables.
This paella has ten vegetables in it. TEN!
Five-a-day? I maniacally laugh at five-a-day.
Ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha.
Muhahaha ha ha ha!
Does that sound balanced to you?
Shoot.
Cauliflower Rice Paella
Makes 4 large servings
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 1/2 c. celery, chopped
- 1 1/2 t. minced garlic
- 1/2 t. smoked paprika
- pinch of saffron
- pinch of cayenne
- 1 T. apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 c. vegetable stock
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 c. frozen peas
- 1 c. cherry tomatoes, split
- 1 14 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
- 1/2 c. green onions, minced
- 15-20 Spanish olives
- fresh parsley and lime wedges for garnish
To make cauliflower rice, remove cauliflower from stem and cut into florets. Put the florets into your high speed blender or your food processor and pulse until you reach a rice consistency.
Meanwhile, coat a large, deep skillet with cooking spray or a spritz of oil and sauté onion, celery and peppers for a few minutes, until just starting to soften.
Add “rice” and continue to sauté for another 4-5 minutes.
Add garlic, smoked paprika, saffron, vinegar, vegetable stock, salt, peas, tomatoes and artichoke hearts and heat through, simmering for about 5-6 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add green onions and olives.
Garnish with parsley and lime.
There are lots of ways to make this dish your own, depending on what you are into.
Add tofu. Add soy chorizo. Add sriracha. Add quinoa. Add chickpeas or black beans or edamame.
Or add nothing.
But a fork, of course.
And something special for dessert.
Some fresh fruit and several chapters in The Hunger Games?
More like chocolate chips straight from the bag (or gigantic jar) and an episode of The Bachelor.
It’s all about balance, friends.
The most precious gifts come from unimaginable sacrifice.
Like waking up at 3:30 a.m.
Driving nearly straight up the side of a mountain.
Freezing your peas off while huddling tightly in a hotel blanket that just a few hours earlier you were picking off the bed with salad tongs.
Haleakala Crater is the highest point on the island of Maui, reaching almost two miles up in the sky. When we booked our first trip back to the Islands without kids, Pea Daddy had his heart set on surf lessons.
I had my heart set on watching the sunrise from the top of the world.
On Sunday morning, our car snaked up and down the mountain in the dark for what seemed like hours.
We sipped coffee and talked about our lives over the last eight years. The dreams we chased and those we let die. The triumphs and the tragedies. The ways we’ve changed and the ways we still hope to grow.
A single road sign lightened the mood as we reached the top, the bold words saying “NO LEFT TURN” and pointing directly right off the side of the mountain we’d just climbed.
We turned right, parked the car, and made our way to the edge of the crater.
Just in time.
Shivering in thin air.
Waiting.
Shuffling my feet in the gravel, not really going anywhere, just trying to stay warm.
Waiting.
Edging around other people, huddled in their own blankets, trying to find what would be my place.
Waiting.
And then it happened.
Warmth.
Grace.
Forgiveness.
Peace.
Acceptance.
Healing.
My heart was set on fire.
I felt so very small, but filled with Something so big.
Everyone who has ever felt broken–and we all have–deserves that kind of peace. To know that the climb, the shivering, the gravel shuffling and the search for your place will all be worth what is waiting on the other side of it.
The most precious gifts come from unimaginable sacrifice.
Somehow, even after returning home to dark, rainy skies, knowing this makes everything seems so much brighter.
