Finding Balance

Vices

  So much in life is about balance.  Who am I kidding, everything in life is about balance!  If you don't believe me, change one thing about your normal schedule and see what happens.  Now, I know some people thrive on chaos and wouldn't dream of having even a semblance of a schedule.  That's fine, but the thought makes me feel a little crazy.  I'm the type of person that has to write everything down in my calendar and I thrive on structure.  However, with the rigidity that a schedule can often include, the balance has to be making time for free-form activities that don't have to be minutely planned.  Because it's true, you can't plan everything or you're not really living.  As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
  You'd think, as a Libra, I'd know all about balance.  With my astrological symbol being the scales and whatnot, that I'd be some innate professional at the equilibrium of existence.  Yet even I have moments where breathing deeply isn't enough, and if I don't figure out what I'm going to wear to work in the next 5 minutes there's going to be a meltdown.  Admittedly, in the grand scheme of things, those are some pretty harmless problems to have.  To me, the crucial component of imbalance (and most of the things that happen in life) is our reaction to it.  Whether or not we have made choices that have led to our present state of unrest, instability, etc.- we do have the choice to react negatively or positively as an end result.  In turn, affecting the outcome as a whole.
  The reason I mention all of this New Age mumbo-jumbo is that I actually believe most of it.  Furthermore, I can attest that even the smallest of things in your life can put you off-kilter.  We live a pretty wonderful life, and enjoy some comforts that I feel incredibly lucky to be have at my fingertips.  As the seasons change and the weather gets warmer, we shed the sluggishness of winter and the days start to increase in pace and intensity.  This tends to make life busier and takes attention away from tasks we normally devoted time to.  For us, the biggest way we suffer is with what we eat.  

  It's easy to go for takeout.  It's convenient when you're tired after a long day at work.  So recently, as we watched Forks Over Knives (which everyone needs to see if they haven't) while eating KFC sides and a bucket of chicken, we decided to put our greasy feet down and put a stop to this epicurean sacrilege!  And yes, I am that person who watched a movie about the horrors of eating processed foods and meat while eating quite possibly the worst of the worst of fast food.  KFC did bring America the Double-down Sandwich, after all.  But I've eaten a donut burger too.  No regrets.  
  Our reactions are better seen than described:

Snack to live, live to snack.  Snacks to live by: (As always, click on links for recipes.)

Apple stuffed with peanut butter and oats (Eat immediately or put apple back together, wrap, and enjoy later.)

Roasted eggplant stuffed with garlic and thyme

Eggplant above turned into dip and served with onion flaxseed crackers

Double Dark Chocolate Biscotti with Walnuts and Crystallized Ginger

Apricot-Nut Bars with Dark Chocolate (April 2012 Whole Living)

 Everything else...

WW English Muffin, sauteed spinach and garlic, scrambled eggs, sliced tomato, Parmesan chunks

Bacon and black olive pizza with WW crust

Turkey Salad Wrap with Kale Dip, Sugar Snap Peas and chips

Creamy Sardine Salad

Recipe
I love beets, and when I saw these golden orbs of deliciousness I had to buy them, even though they weren't on the grocery list.  I just knew I could find something to do with them.  This was immediately what came to mind:

Rustic beet, leek, and goat cheese tart

Crust:
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Filling:
3-4 roasted beets, sliced
4-5 beet leaves, thinly sliced and inner stem removed
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 leeks, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)
4 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground sea salt

To make the crust:
In a food processor, combine flour, salt, butter, and oil and pulse until resembles coarse meal.  Slowly drizzle in 1/3 cup cold water, and pulse just until mixture comes together.  If it does not, gradually add more water, a tablespoon at a time.  Remove dough, knead a few times on lightly floured surface.  Form dough into a ball, flatten, wrap it it in waxed paper and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and trim ends and greens from beets.  Place in a square baking pan, drizzle with oil and salt and pepper, then cover pan with aluminum foil.  Place beets in preheated oven and roast for at least 1 hour, or until beets are easily pierced with a fork.  

To prepare tart, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place sliced beet greens in a colander to drain and sprinkle with kosher salt.
In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add leeks.  Saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add beet greens to the bowl, along with sliced, roasted beets, crumbled goat cheese, eggs, salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Fold ingredients gently to mix.

Lightly flour a sheet of waxed paper and place dough on it.  Lightly flour top of dough before placing another sheet of waxed paper on top.  Roll the dough out to form a 15-inch circle.  Remove the top piece of waxed paper and gently invert dough circle onto oiled baking sheet.

Spread the filling on the dough, leaving about 1 1/2 inch border.  Fold the the border over the filling, overlapping with itself every few inches.  Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan, and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  

Bake for 30 minutes or so, or until filling is set and crust is golden brown.        
Slice and serve.  Enjoy!  
This would taste great with a light, fruity white wine, such as a vinho verde.

And now I leave you with flowers.  Stay tuned for my forays into homemade seitan and the decadent desserts of Momofuku Milk Bar.  

 Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In that space is our power to choose our response.

In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Viktor E. Frankl

 Currently reading: The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
Current listening: Surfer Rosa by The Pixies