One thing about welfulness is maintaining awareness of how everything in the universe is interconnected. Mindful eating is a part of this awareness.

It’s really miraculous when you see some small action in one part of the world having a ripple effect that would be unimaginable until it happened. I recently read an article in Sierra magazine about a few wolves being reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. It changed the entire ecosystem of the park to the good in just a few years. It is about the effect the wolves were having getting the habitat back in balance.

Interconnectedness And Mindful Eating

When we extend the sense of interconnectedness to the choices we make in what we eat it becomes important to eat with a sense of compassion and love. Mindful eating is about having good healthy eating habits which means making good choices in the foods that we eat.

To me that means trying to eat fewer animal products and that animal products should come from good places.

It’s good to be mindful about where this food on our table comes from since we are connected to that food in a real yet intangible way. To have compassion for other living creatures means having compassion for a part of our greater selves.

Tasty Cooking Techniques

I love to explore vegetarian options and I really dislike bland watery food, which is what you get in a lot of vegetarian meals. Spicy savory surprising flavors are what I’m after with proper contrasts in texture.

Good chewy bites, with crunchy crusts contrasted with smooth and soft parts are important to good food. I’m constantly experimenting to make scrumptious satisfying food that is based on compassionate ecologically sound choices. It is part of my mindful eating practice.

Techniques such as frying can give you a crunchy outside, slow roasting can bring out rich caramelized flavors in many vegetables. Layers of spices, marinades and multiple sauces can bring complexity and depth to lots of dishes.

Fun With Tofu

I’ve been working with tofu a lot these days and recently have been mastering the tofu scramble. To me the tofu scramble and going eggless is a great thing. It is an easy path to mindful eating habit.

Benefits

• The texture is very similar to scrambled eggs.
• There is no cholesterol
• You get lots of healthy protein and fibers.
• Lots of kids I know love tofu for its soft texture and mild taste.

I’ve also been using tofu as a meat substitute in dishes with spicy marinades like tofu tikka masala and in lime and fish sauce marinated Southeast Asian salads such as Larb. Careful consideration of flavors, a lavish hand with spices, peppers, and herbs, as well as patience in developing good textures will lead to satisfying vegetarian food.

Experimenting is fun and an amusing challenge so why not give it a try as a part of your mindful eating practice? Remember: one small action and the ripple effect can make a difference.

SparkYourBloom today And Everyday!