Many months ago, I was paying another visit to Adam at Weird Weekends, happily reading his latest weird post (he makes me laugh so much); I was minding my own business, when my eyes nearly popped out of my head: he only went and nominated me for The Sunshine Blogger Award! I’m not sure what the criteria are for being nominated, but I hope that I spread a little nourishing warmth with my vegan, gluten-free recipes and bring a little joy with my anecdotes. There’s nothing like a bit of sunshine to perk you up, give you strength (all that vitamin D) and bring a smile to your face.
It’s taken me so long, however, to respond to Adam that now I have received another nomination from Meena at Tingle-UR-Tastebuds and I hope she doesn’t mind that I am responding to both in one post – these award speeches really do take a lot of working on!
Thank you to both Adam and Meena, I am very happy you like my blog and that my posts don’t just disappear into the ether unread and unheeded. Please go visit their blogs, Adam makes everything he can turn his hand to: cheese, wine, hair-crafts, water-colours, and writes in a drily amusing style while Meena has a passion for cooking Indian recipes influenced by her mum and mother-in-law’s cooking and all the places she’s lived.
As in most things, you’re not just handed something on a plate when given a blogger award (see how I’m trying to make this relevant to my theme?), you have to sing for your supper, or in this case answer a few questions about yourself put forward by the nominee. I am sure Adam thought long and hard about these and I am already squirming in my seat at the prospect of people reading my responses. I would make a terrible celebrity, how do they cope with all those interviews asking increasingly intimate and often inane questions?
Here goes (my answers may or may not be the truth, the whole truth or completely made up!):
When was the first time you fell in love and was it “true” love?
Well, I won’t say what age I was because it might give a clue as to who his girlfriend was at the time, and I don’t want him or her to be embarrassed – you know what the tabloids are like – but, it was Paul McCartney. And of course it was true love!
What are you truly passionate about?
Education. In all its senses.
What is one of your “guilty” pleasures?
I’m not sure I should own up to this, but once in about every 6 months or so, I just have to have a packet of crisps! Just a small one. I eat each crisp individually, slowly and savour the salty crispness. Nothing fancy. None of these weird flavour combinations. Just plain and salty. I can’t ever take a handful and gobble them down. I enjoy each and every one. And then I get indigestion and don’t want any more for another 6 months until I have forgotten how they make me feel!
What is the thing that “bugs” or “bothers” you the most?
Everything! You’ll think twice about asking this question again! Injustice. Inequality. Poverty. Bullying.
1. People having the wool pulled over their eyes. Government bulldozing a policy through that no-one wants (eg fracking) regardless of the potential consequences and growing evidence of environmental damage and human sickness from those who already have it literally in their back yards. Phew! Glad I got that one off my chest.
2. Those cellophane ring seals on pots of humous that I can never break.
3. Drips of tea on the kitchen counter.
4. People letting their dogs bark outside endlessly first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Do they have a gene that allows them to desensitise to relentless barking and yapping?
I’ll stop now…
5. Oh, and for once and for all I have not had an industrial accident, nor a car accident nor PPI nor do I need loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, double glazing or a new driveway – oh, right, actually I do need a new driveway but not from someone knocking on my door with a spare few tons of tarmac round the corner!
Can I have a cup of tea now? I’m quite exhausted. See, you feel all flattered and fluttery when you see your name up in lights on someone else’s blog, but there are always consequences … I’ll have green please. Tea that is. With jasmine. Thank you. Oh, and I like it so it nearly takes the enamel off my teeth. (I was brought up in t’north, tha knows).
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Oh my goodness. Do I really have to answer this one? I can’t. I still shudder. So instead, I’ll tell you number two most embarrassing moment: out with friends in a local pub, mostly guys I’d grown up with and a couple of their girlfriends I think, whom I didn’t know well, get up to leave as a group, chatting away, I’m leading, talking to whoever was behind me, I stretch out my arm without looking to push open the door. And walk straight into the gents. All the guys I was with knew what was happening and didn’t say a word. They all thought it was hilarious. The gents door was right next to the exit door. I’m extremely short-sighted. Mortified.
Who do you admire? Why?
Anyone struggling against the odds. Anyone in public service. Anyone who can cut through it all and make sense without appealing to the lowest common denominator. Anyone who can make me laugh!
What one thing do you want to change?
I’d like to wake up one morning and find this whole US election/Brexit/Putin debacle was really a nightmare and that everyone had gone back to their kind, considerate and compassionate selves.
What is the strangest dream you have ever had?
I have weird dreams all the time, always very involved and vivid and involving either me packing but never being able to fit all my books in, lions in the house (!) or not being able to find my room on campus or classroom in school.
What is your favorite season and why?
Haha this changes with the seasons! If you ask me when it’s stifling hot (not that I remember the last time), I’d probably say Autumn because I love all the colours, the log fire and fairy lights; if you ask me in Autumn when I’m shivering because I refuse to have the heating on, I’d probably say Spring because I love seeing the bulbs coming up and and hearing the birds sing.
What is your most unique quality or trait?
I am terrible at making decisions and usually end up buying two of something because I can’t decide on a colour etc.
My nominees: these are people who either have great recipes, make me laugh or inspire me with their well-crafted original writing, sometimes all at the same time. I tried to choose people who didn’t already have a cabinet full of award nominations.
Questions:
What would you say to your 11 year old self?
What’s your favourite meal of the day?
Who would you like to play you in a film about your life?
What’s lurking under your bed?
What motivates you?
Who or what tries your patience?
What’s your favourite smoothie?
What’t your favourite poem?
Tell us a joke!
Copyright: Chris McGowan
When my brother came for a visit recently, he asked if we could make a smoothie. It was his birthday yesterday, so I thought I would post ‘his’ smoothie recipe.
Unfortunately, we didn’t take a photo at the time, so I photographed my recreation and sprinkled on some hemp seeds and raw chocolate raisins.* Yum!
This dinner came about when I had recently finished a 3 week juice plan and wanted something simple but with a little flavour – not too much, as my digestion wouldn’t be able to cope so soon.
The idea was to have rice with mildly chilli-flavoured stir-fried veggies topped with the crumbled burger and lightly chilli-seasoned cashew cheese sauce. 
A bit late in the day, but better late than never, I hope! These were made with ingredients I won in a recent 
Spoon into silicone moulds or into a baking tray and refrigerate for a couple of hours until set. Cut into slices if set in a tray.
Cherries are considered another of Mother Nature’s superfoods, reputedly containing a wondrous variety of nutrients which are both anti-inflammatory, anti-againg, pain-relieving and help prevent certain cancers.
We had 2 butternut squash, several oranges and a lot of dried lemonbalm from our garden queuing up, begging to be used, so I decided to try some of them together. I’ve had squash with nutmeg, squash with cumin and squash with ginger, I wondered what squash with orange would be like.
Add a handful at a time, starting with the squash and carrots, then celery, stir-frying as you go until all are added.
Following my 16 days of juicing, I had some red cabbage left over that needed using up, so I decided to try it in a smoothie. I thought it might be bitter and make the smoothie a horrible dark colour like sump oil or something, but look at it, it’s gorgeous! And it tastes as lovely as it looks.
I realised we still had a large bag of mixed vine fruit and an open bag of Sweet Apricot Kernels left over from Christmas and as we were making almond milk and would have the pulp to use up, I decided to combine the two. My husband kindly donated the Raw Chocolate Company Goji and Orange bar from his Selection Box* for the topping and we made it extra orangey with some fresh orange juice and zest.
Press firmly into a baking tin which has been lightly oiled with a little melted cacao butter.
mixture with the chocolate and grate a little orange zest and orange raw chocolate all over. Put back in the fridge for a few minutes.
This recipe was inspired by Masala Vegan’s 
When they are ready (they should still have a little bite to them to retain the nutrients and give texture to the meal), add the cooked rice and mix throughly but gently.
pearsnotparsnipsdotcom 
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