backbone of a banquet

Hi eKa CIRCLE

Todays inspo for the meal I cooked for our meditation group came from just one single thing. Most of my ideas do birth from one single gift or idea. Today it was the humble eggplant! I have been dabbling with gardening and while I have a long way to go to be great at it- I am on my way! While trimming a few leaves and vines on friday I noticed one hidden fruit (yes eggplant is a fruit!) it was bending down below the garden bed near the back fence. On lifting it up I noticed a huge eggplant that I had overlooked- literally a gem from nature given to me at the most perfect timing to feed the group! So my brain starts thinking what can I make using this? Checks pantry and found some chickpeas; I make a mental note of what I have and boom I have the backbone to my banquet.

I learnt this technique to life during a difficult season where I didn’t have much. It has served me so well as a life skill I would like to share with you all. When you do not have resources you are forced to be creative. You only need one thing to birth more- be it a project, decorating, a goal, a business, a vision, a recipe or a party. Start with one thing- just start somewhere! Then look around at what else comes to that one thing to make the plan fall in place. As a stylist I worked like this for many, many years I would look around on my prop day for one special item to literally “speak to me” and then the plan develops. It might be a hand made piece of ceramic that then leads you to a colourway or a textural journey.It may have been a beautiful background that guided me to use rust tones. Do you see what I mean? I suppose an artist would work in the same way, choosing that subject matter; or the muse. It takes just one thing to give you some direction. Today that one thing for serving my guests was a beautiful inky purple eggplant. Natures gift.

Start small then build on your banquet. You will be way ahead of someone else that waits to find all the pieces to the puzzle before they start building. Or worse still someone that sits back and complains that they don’t have any resources. Momentum gathers momentum. You will find which way to turn as you move. Especially if your intention is to bless others. I warmed some leftover rice, shred up some bbq chicken topped with some chopped fresh herbs from the garden, found a cucumber gifted to me by a friend and made a quick raita (see recipe below), dressed some salad leaves and pulled out my pickles and chutneys. I had a feast in the 30 mins it took to simmer the eggplant. This is stress free entertaining.

And so birthed an amazing chickpea curry- and trimmings that spilled into a feast. This is the abundance of the universe in motion. I just adore life lessons from the simple things. I would like to not only share the gift of the recipe with you but the jewel of this process of flow.

Chickpea Eggplant Curry

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-2 green chillies, finely chopped

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp white pepper powder

1 handful fresh curry leaves ( I keep mine in the freezer)

2 lime leaves

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 large eggplant, diced

1 can coconut cream

water

Saute the onion & garlic in the coconut oil over a medium heat until just softened. Add the curry powder & mustard seeds, toss over the heat for a few seconds. Add the salt, sugar, pepper, curry leaves, lime leaves, chickpeas, coconut cream, and enough water to almost cover the ingredients in the pot. Simmer over a high heat for approximately 30 minutes or until the curry thickens.

Cucumber Raita

1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

2 tbsp greek yoghurt

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

salt and pepper

MIx ingredients and serve with a curry.

What is in your hand that you can stretch into magical abundance?

love & light

M + E

For more ideas on making healthy meals in a flash see https://ekacircle.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=11349&action=edit https://www.instagram.com/p/CKpnUVajcSv/

For more meditation ideas please visit https://ekacircle.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=10911&action=edit