Beautiful Day xoxoxo

Today was such a wonderful day, all along the way I kept marveling at how beautifully it was unfolding.  First, there was the thunderstorm.  I went to work and sat in front of the sliding glass door while I typed, looking out beyond the glass at the hills covered in misty rain, and the dark, roiling clouds boiling above them, thick and white, then grey, then black - such a passionate sky.  I could feel the thunder in my bones.
At lunch time, the power went out, and I ate my lunch without a care in the world, reading my magical book, The Physics of Miracles, as the room grew darker and darker, so much so that I had to take a candle into the restroom - how romantic; it reminded me of the lanterns we used to sometimes use in Mexico when I was little.  After half an hour had passed, the power had yet to return, so I was free to go home as none of the computer's batteries would last very long without outlet power.  I used my cell phone to light the way down the building's winding staircase, since the elevator was out; it was just spooky enough to feel a little exciting : ) 
On the ride home, the heater kept me toasty as it rained, and I happily listened to Abraham-Hicks - so absorbed and inspired that the drive home seemed to be over too soon.  When I got home, I took the most delicious nap, cuddling with my little stuffed monkey and buried beneath lots of cozy blankets while it rained and rained.  For the past couple of days I had been longing for some extra sleep, so the two hours that I slept were deeply savored.
When I woke up, I was inspired to visit the local Korean market and see what I could cook up for dinner.  The market was so fun, so exotic for me, and I had absolute pleasure in looking at all the mysterious packages and jars, and generally just absorbing the flavors of another culture, right here in my backyard.  I was extra thrilled to find the baby bok choy and mushrooms I had come for, all for so much less than I was imagining I would pay!  I even found some mushrooms I had been wanting to try but hadn't bought before, and they were organic to boot - it felt like I had won the mushroom lottery!  I also picked up some rice noodles, fresh lemongrass, brown rice tea, shaved coconut, coconut milk and little red onions the size of shallots.  Everyone at the store was so friendly and helpful, I'm looking forward to going back!
At home, it felt like such a sensual pleasure to wash and prepare the ingredients for dinner.  I took my time and felt so appreciative that I could simply imagine what I would like to eat, then easily go out and find the ingredients to fulfill that desire.
And here's the icing on the cake: dinner was ridiculously delicious!  I had no idea that maitake mushrooms were so amazingly flavorful!  They had a very mellow, smoky/wine flavor that I'm sure I will be craving for the next week!  Now that it's been a little over a month that I've not eaten any chicken or fish (have not eaten red meat since I was 18), I'm finding mushrooms a very satisfying substitute!  I also added shiitake and oyster mushrooms, which are also mind-blowingly YUM, and kind of creamy and nutty at the same time!  I guess I may as well just give you the recipe here, so you can see for yourself.  Then I'm going to climb into bed and read some more of my magical book, before disappearing beneath my blankets to say a deeply warm/glowing "thank you" to the Universe for such a perfect day!

3 MUSHROOM & BABY BOK CHOY STIR FRY

Ingredients: 

- 5 or more cloves of garlic, minced

- 4 or 5 baby bok choy, rinsed and the leaves pulled apart -- keep the hearts intact if you wish. (you could also add any other veggies, or some fresh ginger as well, but I wanted to keep it simple and not have anything really compete with the mushrooms and bok choy)

- a handful of small to med sized, fresh shiitake mushrooms ( I left some caps whole, some just cut in half - I like them big and chunky.  I guess you could also use dried ones that have been soaked, but I like fresh better)

- 3 large king oyster mushrooms sliced thinly lengthwise instead of into coins

- a handful of maitake mushrooms

- dried Asian rice noodles

- sesame oil

- chickpea miso (I use this in place of regular miso, because I can't do soy.)

- Coconut Aminos (I use this in place of soy sauce & it tastes even better in my opinion. Got it at Whole Foods.)

- Olive Oil (or any oil you prefer)

- boiled water

-brown sugar (optional - I didn't use it)

*Photo notes: the king oyster mushrooms are next to the bok-choy photo, then come the maitake in a bunch, then loose shiitake mushrooms.  The king oyster get pretty huge, so I guess I must've bought the small to medium sized king oyster mushrooms*

Directions:

-Pour some boiled water over the rice noodles and let them soak, covered, for ten minutes, until they're soft.

-Coat a frying pan with olive oil and turn the heat on high or med high.

-Toss all the mushrooms into the frying pan, along with the minced garlic, and sautee them for a bit until the shiitake mushrooms begin to cook through.

-Add in the baby bok choy and stir together well.

-When the bok choy has almost begun to wilt, add in just a bit of the Coconut Aminos, probably a TBSP.  Turn off and cover to allow everything to finish cooking.

- In a little bowl, take a tsp of the chickpea miso and add a little bit of hot water to make a smooth paste, then a bit more water to make a thick sauce.  Add some Coconut Aminos to this, to your liking ( I probably added a TBSP) and stir until blended.  You may elect to add a touch of brown sugar at this point, but it's not really necessary.

-Pile the rice noodles onto a deep plate or large bowl, add the mushrooms and bok choy on top, then sprinkle with the sauce and top with some drops of sesame oil (which is never to be cooked).  Mix it well or eat it just like it is, and try not to keep saying mmm... as you eat. heehee. -Then, finally, have some brown rice tea and cookies for dessert if you're especially naughty.  Well, gluten free cookies from Pamela's; we're not that naughty ; )

xoxoxoxox Night night