Stupid, Stupid, Stupid Human Beings

This picture was taken on 14th March 2015 on our way towards Gauchar market.  I was already documenting the horror of the area while passing this bridge. Then this woman, coming from the other side of the road, carrying a plastic of mixed garbage, appeared.
I walked past ahead, stood and waited for her to cross the road because I know she will be dumping what she's carrying into the river and I wanted to photograph it. 

The result? The picture above!

The plastic bag didn't land on to the river itself. It was caught by those Lantana plants down below. 

But in no time, the image would be like this...

...and even worse!

What she did was stupid, unacceptable, and disgusting!
She, among others, is responsible for deliberately polluting this seasonal river, killing and poisoning ALL lives that depend on it.

She, based on her body size-short and stout, is obese and, therefore, sick...very sick,
 physically and mentally!

Would you sympathize with her?

Would you treat her, if you are a doctor?

Would you help her, in any way, if you happen to be her neighbor?

Would you care to educate her? 

To me, she is a walking dead and because she's dead, giving her education is like administering a dose of medicine to a zombie -no point! I don't sympathize with people like her. I am not a misanthrope, I just deplore people who have no shame left of themselves because this woman and the likes of her are not only killing themselves, they are also dragging innocents with them -the victims who are almost always not in the picture, the animals!

And that is merciless!

I would have not minded if her action only affects her. She can do whatever she wants even if it leads to her own peril or death. But that is not the case!

The animals who don't contribute to any of these suffer the most.
And who else? The few people who try to make a difference and don't participate in polluting the earth suffer, too!

Ironic huh! The criminals are not the only ones paying for their crimes. And in most cases, it's the victims who pay the most-their health and their life!

How To Make Raja Special

Raja Special...a name that sounds special not because it's a king's favorite but because it's a recipe that is very simple yet very healthy! It's quick and very easy, too!

Ingredients:

~Peanuts/Groundnuts (a cup)
~Tomatoes (medium, 2 pieces)
~Onions (medium, 2)
~Green chili (1 or 2 pieces)
~Lemon juice (1, small) or vinegar (a few drops)
~Mango powder or chat masala (a tsp.)
~Black pepper powder (a tsp.)
~Salt (to taste)
~Olive oil (a tsp.)
~Coriander leaves (finely chopped)

What to do?

1. In an oilless pan, stir fry peanuts till they make a crackling sound -a sound of splitting. Don't roast.
2. Wash all vegetables. Slice onions and tomatoes into long and thin pieces.
3. Chopped green chili into very small pieces. Add to onions and tomatoes.
4. Add lemon juice, mango powder, black pepper powder, salt, olive oil, coriander leaves and mix.
5. Add the roasted peanuts and sprinkle a few drops of vinegar.
6. Mix well and serve.

Enjoy a healthy meal (We generally have this as a meal rather than a snack, which mostly is the case)!

Cauliflower Salad: An Experiment Turned Out Superb

Aside from fried gram coated gobi (cauliflower) or maida (all-purpose flour) coated gobi for Gobi Manchurian, the only other way I cook cauliflower is parboiling it - a rather quick and easy meal seasoned with salt and black pepper powder. It's delicious also.

Last night, instead of having it the same way again, my husband brought out an excellent idea -a different way of making cauliflower dish but something that is not entirely new because we've been having tandoor salad (without tandoor...lol).

I still say it was an experiment that, I confidently recommend, turned out very well. In fact, it was superb we decided to make cauliflower this way.


So here's the how....

Cauliflower
1. Make small florets out of cauliflower. Wash properly.
2. Parboil the florets with salt. (Make sure they are not over-cooked).
3. Strain and keep aside.
4. When water is drained, heat pan and add a tbsp. of oil (I used olive oil).
5. Sautee parboiled cauliflower florets for 2-3 minutes being careful not to roast. While mixing, add black pepper powder.
6. Turn off the stove.

Vegetables - Capsicum, carrots, onions, tomatoes (Tandoor Salad is done the same way but with cabbage)
1. Wash all vegetables thoroughly.
2. Slice them into thin and long pieces.
3. Put all sliced vegetables in a deep bowl.
4. Add lemon juice, black pepper powder, salt, a tsp. mango powder, and a tsp. olive oil. Mix together.
5. Boil water in a deep pan and keep the bowl of this mixture. Parboil for at most 2 minutes or till al dente mixing frequently.
6. Remove from water.
7. Finally, add sauteed cauliflower florets to the vegetable mixture.
8. Mix and serve hot/warm.

Enjoy an easy and healthy meal. No rice required!

Palak (Spinach) Rice Recipe: A Better Way To Eat Rice

Palak Rice is a simple recipe that promises a remarkable taste, a taste that would want you to make it again and again plus you are not eating rice alone!

It took me two tryouts to make this recipe better. The first one was watery though it turned out fine but not good enough. So I was determined to make it again taking some modifications into consideration. This is the second one which turned out pretty good! And there has been a deal to make it at least once in 10 days.

Here's how!

Ingredients:

• Cumin seeds (1 tsp.)
• Turmeric powder (1 tsp.)
• Coriander powder (1 tsp.) 
• Red chili powder (a pinch)
• Green chili (1 piece, cut into half)-optional
• Garlic (2 or more heads, chopped into fine pieces)
• Ginger (an inch, chopped into small pieces)
• Onion (2 or more medium- size, chopped into small cubes)
• Spinach (around 200gm.)
• Peanuts (Dry roasted, a handful or two)
• Carrots (small, chopped into small pieces)
• Coriander leaves or spring onion for garnish
• Rice (1 cup, boiled)
• Oil (2 tbsp.)
• Salt to taste

Procedures:

Pre-cooking

1.  Boil 1 cup of rice. Set aside. Make sure that the rice isn't too boiled or wet-cooked.

2. Dry roast peanuts for 3 to 5 minutes. Keep mixing to avoid scorching!

3. Wash palak (spinach) properly in running water. Cut in half if needed then blanch. Set aside. When cool, blend to make palak puree. 

4. Since the puree is watery, cook it for few more minutes till much of the water is gone. Watery makes palak rice wettish.

Final Cooking

1. In a deep pan, heat oil. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle.

2. Add ginger and garlic. Sautee till brown. 

3. Add onion and green chili, saute until translucent.

4. Add carrots. Mix together and saute for 1 minute. Do not overcook!

5. Add red chili, salt, turmeric, and coriander powder. Sautee for 20 seconds.

6. Add palak puree. Add a little water to fully remove the entire puree. Mix together and saute the mixture until the mixture is neither dry nor watery.

7. Then add rice and roasted peanuts. Let it cook for 1 minute.

8. Garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion. Serve hot.

We love palak and this is just one of the few palak recipes that I have been making. And I always look forward to making it again, as long as spinach is available in the market.

Do try it yourself. You'll not regret it! Enjoy a healthy meal!

If Going Vegan Means...

I will lose my friends, I don't mind! 

I'd rather be surrounded by like-minded people than people who never wished to understand what values I really stand for. I firmly believe that a great friendship is built when two or more people share similar values and outlook in life, when they try to understand and discuss ideas, thoughts, and issues in life together with open-mindedness, even though it would mean letting go of an old belief and accepting an entirely new one that is universally true and right,
because great friends stand for what is right, not who is right! 

If I lose them now, it means I never had them at all.

I will be ostracized/ex-communicated by my meat-eating family members 

and relatives, I am not worried! 

To ostracize without even trying to discuss with me the kind of change I am going through means they don't want to be part of what I have become. Not wanting to hear and listen to the arguments behind veganism or taking meat and dairy off their plates means they are not interested to question the lifestyle that they have been following. A close-knitted family talks and discusses important issues that really matter in life. To practice traditions and the usual ways of life we call "normal living" but are wrong is never acceptable thus needs questioning, needs changing even if it would mean starting a new and different tradition altogether.
A real family looks upon every member's well-being,
after all, that's what family is for!
Well, at least this is what I realized now and I am going to stick with it.

But why am I not worried?

Because it is time to really ponder what does family and friends really mean. Losing them means it is time to make new ones. I am not afraid to make new friends. I am not scared not to find any either. 

To continue eating meat and consuming milk and milk products is wrong. Morally wrong! With what we now know about animals and their lives, there is no debate about it.

And I know, they-my family and friends, too, see it as wrong that needs to be righted. But the big question is will they want to right it?

Doing the wrong thing is not the one that is reprehensible. What's deplorable is when you know, when you are told or shown, that you are doing something wrong, and yet you are not doing anything about it or not even ready to change it.

I am going to be alone, it's fine with me!

But I am quite sure I will never be alone. What I am doing is just righting the wrong! And the good thing about the change I embraced is that my family got extended. It is no longer an exclusive human family but a family with non-human animals who have been exploited for centuries just because they can't do anything about it, and all by one species -humans!

But there is one thing that is sure though.
There is always time to contemplate and room for change.
And a change for the right thing is always welcome and must be supported!