my ikigai...
For a long time, I have struggled with what to do "when I grow up", what to dedicate my days to, and what my purpose for being here is. When I was 10, I wanted to be a teacher. At 14, a journalist. At 16, a lawyer, a journalist, a doctor (that lasted all of two minutes as I quickly remembered that I get squeamish around blood), a politician, an activist, a teacher, a journalist, and round and round it went. All I knew was that I wanted to help make the world a better place in some small (or big!) way.
At 18, still completely unsure, I enrolled in humanists and social sciences at UofT, thinking something would eventually come out of my general degree. It did, but it had nothing to do with what I finally graduated with (honours B.A. in political science and sociology). As I have come to learn, my ikigai, my reason for getting up in the morning, is food!
No, I don't jump out of bed in the morning solely to eat breakfast (although, this definitely helps when the alarm goes off). Instead, what I've come to realize is that in food lies the power to make profound change in the world because, in our modernization and evolution, it is precisely in the area of food that we have stumbled off our path. Ours diets of processed foods and conveniences has led to an obesity pandemic, staggering increases in diet-related diseases such as diabetes and heart failure, and ultimately, a decreasing live span. We've industrialized food so wonderfully that it's now become our poison.
But there's a clear light at the end of the tunnel because all of this is reversible. The solution: a return to healthier eating habits and the de-industrialization of the global food complex. It's a massive task, no doubt, but each one of us has the power to help bring about change. This is what I want to help people realize..... but more on this later. For now, as a starter, I highly recommend you watch Food Inc. It's a must!
And finally, a recipe. :) Here's what's in my oven at the moment:
Sweet Potato Tofu Pate
Ingredients:
1 pound (roughly) of regular tofu.
The white parts of two leeks, thinly sliced.
1 small sweet potato, grated.
4-5 button mushrooms, finely chopped (optional; if you hate mushrooms, leave them out)
2 tbsp miso paste.
2 tbsp corn starch (or flour).
1 tbsp herbal pepper.
Olive oil.
Preheat oven to 375f.
Chop up the leek whites and saute them in olive oil until they are soft and golden.
Add mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add grated sweet potato and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the veggies cool slightly.
While the vegetables cool, tear and mash the tofu by hand or in a food processor.
Mix the tofu with the miso paste and corn starch.
Add tofu mixture to vegetables. Heat mixture on low heat for a couple of minutes, stirring everything together.
Oil a small baking pan and tightly pack mixture into pan.
Bake for 20 minutes @ 375f.
Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
I like to also chop up the green leaves of the leeks in some olive oil and veggie stock for a few minutes, and serve them on top of the pate. Yum!
Enjoy! :)
mxo
