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Happy Winter Solstice everyone! And happy Summer Solstice to my friends in the southern hemisphere!
As I was waiting for the bus yesterday on my way home from work, here is the beautiful sky I was treated to:
Today’s Solstice celebration has been lovely. Several pieces of the meal were prepared in advance so I had what amounted to a great deal of down time today that I am not used to. I must say though it was quite nice to sit down to dinner and not be completely exhausted from standing in the kitchen all day!
We eat dessert first in the afternoon with coffee at my house. This year is was chocolate mint ice cream cake. The ice cream is made from coconut milk and cashews. It tasted so good it took all our willpower and the knowledge that there was still dinner later to keep from eating the whole thing! The cake part is baked in one layer and then cut into three pieces and the ice cream gets layered in between. It got to sit put together in the freezer for several hours but it could have used a bit more time because it fell apart a little when I cut off the pieces. But looks aren’t everything!While Bookman and I were having our treat, the Dashwoods were not forgotten. They got a plate of okara (soybean mash leftover after making soy milk) and sweet potato peels that they thoroughly enjoyed. And Waldo and Dickens both got a few cat treat nibbles.
Dinner turned out to be delicious too. It began with creamy carrot-ginger soup. I have made this soup before and like it quite a lot. The carrots are sweet but the ginger and curry give it an little edge and the coconut milk makes it creamy. A great way to begin the meal!
The main course was spicy peanut marinated tempeh sandwiches, sweet potater tots and roasted broccoli. The tempeh marinated overnight and it turned out to not be especially spicy but it was tasty nonetheless. Bookman made the sandwich buns. We had homemade vegan mayonnaise, homemade vegan cheese, a little dijon mustard (not homemade) and home grown alfalfa sprouts. On the side is roasted
broccoli (a little olive oil, lime juice and sage) and sweet potater tots (sweet potato, onion, paprika and a few other spices). The flavors all went together beautifully, though I would not have minded if there had been a touch more heat to the spice. But I don’t think this will be the last time we make any of these so there will be the opportunity in the future to play a bit more with the flavor.All in all a wonderful day. Making a special meal and sharing it with someone you love is, to me, one of the best ways of celebrating anything. We will be sleeping well with full bellies on this longest night of the year. And tomorrow the sun will begin making its way back to us. We might be heading into the cold of winter, but the ever increasing daylight never fails to lift my spirits and make it all bearable.
Wherever you are, may the sun shine kindly upon you and bring you joy and hope.
Happy solstice, friend! It looks like your celebrations were wonderful. ❤
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Thank you Jenny! I hope you had a lovely solstice too and I hope you have a fantastic Christmas!
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I love your solstice posts, and thank so much for remembering your Southern Hemisphere friends. We appreciate it. I love the sound of your food, particularly the coconut and cashew ice-cream. How hard is that to make?
I love Carrot and Ginger soup, but like you I do like a bit more spice/heat in my dishes. Best though to start lower and build up than the other way I think.
Oh, and glad the critters weren’t forgotten. I’m sure they all appreciated the thought.
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whispering gums, I hope you had a lovely solstice. I wish it were summer here. I miss cycling outdoors so much I had a dream about it the other night! The ice cream is super easy to make. We made some changes to this recipe:
https://minimalistbaker.com/creamy-vegan-mint-brownie-ice-cream/
Didn’t do the brownies and we did not use fresh mint leaves, just mint extract. So essentially we mixed together all the ingredients in the food processer and put it in the freezer overnight, not churning or anything required. The cashews do need to have been soaked before the get blended though because they need to be soft. Not exactly a low-fat recipe but really low-fat ice cream is a near criminal offense in our house 🙂
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So you don’t churn? Woo hoo, might try it for Xmas, without brownies too.
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Happy Solstice Stefanie! I am sure you and the Bookman had a fabulous Dinner! The ice cream looks YUMMM….so yes, looks are something! 😉 LOL! I may come back to you on the recipe once I get my new Oven!
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cirtnecce, thank you! I hope you had a lovely solstice too! See my reply to whispering gums above for the ice cream recipe. No cooking required 🙂 Getting a new oven? Nice!
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Woohoo!!! I am so making this!!
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When you were looking at your fabulous pink sky, I was looking at a flaming orange sky. I wonder if we’re seeing effects from the California fires?
Happy Solstice to you and Bookman and all the creatures who live with you. Dessert and dinner look and sound great. It is a wonderful way to celebrate, as we should celebrate every day.
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Joan, you know, I wouldn’t be surprised if the brilliant colors don’t have some connection to the CA fires. I hope you had a good Solstice too! You are right about celebrating every day. Something to strive for!
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Happy solstice!
I love your food posts. That chocolate mint ice cream cake looks so good. In my house we also sometime eat dessert in the afternoon. I find that I crave dessert more in the afternoon then after dinner.
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Happy Solstice, Stefanie! Your meal and day sounds absolutely wonderful. And, that photo is magic. I hope the rest of the holiday season is just as lovely as this day was for you and Mr. Bookman!
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Happy Solstice, it looks like you all had a lovely time. I always feel so much cheerier knowing that the light nights and evening gardening aren’t all that far away now.
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Happy Solstice,
This is my first visit to your blog but it was amazing!
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I was waiting for this delightful post, Stefanie. Thank you for sharing with us. My favourite from the list is the cake. I am already drooling and my Anu Boo must wonder when I began sharing the canine trait with her. I am so glad your furry and feathery friends got their share of the treats too. Sending you light and love. 🙂
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Happy Solstice – your menu looks amazing and delicious! Especially the chocolate mint ice cream cake!
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Happy Solstice Stephanie, Bookman, cats and chickens!
Your home-made, cruelty free celebration sounds deeee-licious, I am glad to see I’m not the only one immediately out for the ice cream recipe! May the sun shine on you and yours this coming season, and may you always find its warmth in the hearts of those around you.
We are currently prepping our own veg Christmas feast. Mushroom and chestnut pastries are the main feature. Mmmm.
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Dessert first sounds lovely! What a beautiful picture of the sky, too. When it is pink like that, it’s my favorite. I was going to celebrate the Winter Solstice with the read-along on Twitter for The Dark is Rising, but I had to abandon it halfway through. For me, it is a book that had to be loved in one’s youth. Anyway, now that the solstice, and meal of yours is passed, may your New Yeae be filled with joy and peace.
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Your meal looks delish! Can you believe it is already time to go back to work?! Sigh. I only wish it was not SO cold. Happy New Year!
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