A gathering in kind and reinventing an old favourite

When you start to do most of your weekly shopping at the local Farmers Market, you get to know the stallholders pretty well. It doesn’t take long before a quick sales exchange becomes a friendly chat, and before you know it you’ve gotten so engrossed in catching up that you realise you’ve been standing at the same stall for half an hour!

This scenario occurs all too easily when so many like-minded people cross paths each week. So it came as no surprise that Cherie from Scullery Made Tea saw it fitting to organise a gathering outside of the Farmers Market setting, where we could continue our chatting without being interrupted by those pesky transactions going on around us.

Cherie and her husband Damien welcomed a group of us to their home this past Saturday, in a “Gathering of Kindness”. An open space where we could talk about all the things we’re reading about, learning about, watching and discussing through our own journeys and self-discovery. A place we could openly discuss the health benefits of kombucha, the healing power of coconut oil, adding in the good things and feeding our souls; not just with food (although food had a strong presence as well), but with powerful, grateful thoughts. And energy; so much good energy. To say it was just a simple lunch between friends would be a gross understatement. I am so grateful to have been welcomed into this world and to have had the opportunity to meet so many beautiful and like-minded people. I can't wait to meet with them all again.

Some of the delicious food making up our kind lunch

View from the verandah - love the lavender

Lunch for Mr Windsor

A curious cow and a happy horse

Powerful books I need to get my hands on

So, in keeping with the kindness theme, I cooked this apricot daal for dinner Sunday night. Inspired by a favourite dish from my childhood (and no doubt many other children's of the 80s) – apricot chicken, the kind way - sans chicken.

Apricot daal

Serves 2 - 4

2 cups dried mung bean daal

1 cup dried apricots

1 tablespoon of virgin coconut oil

½ white onion, diced

750mls vegetable stock

2 potatoes, cut into chunks

1 carrot, cut into chunks

Soak the daal in filtered water for four hours. Drain and rinse.

Cover the dried apricots with enough water so that all apricots are just immersed. Allow to simmer over low heat on the stove for about 10 minutes, or until completely soft.

Saute the onion in coconut oil until translucent. Drain the apricots and add to the onions. Stir for a few minutes. Add the vegetable stick and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and using a stick blender, blitz the apricots in the stock until smooth (it should resemble a thick soup). Return to the heat, add the potatoes, carrots and dhal and simmer with the lid off for approximately 30 minutes, or until the dhal is tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce.

Serve with gratitude, steamed rice and your favourite greens.