Autumnal Equinox Smoothies

I've been making smoothies most mornings for breakfast. It involves preparing a bunch of raw veggies and fruits and blending them all up. Here's a template:

CHOOSE ONE, 1/4 c.:
almonds
walnuts
cashews
pecans

CHOOSE ONE, 4 oz. frozen:
raspberries
blackberries
strawberries
blueberries
pineapple

OPTIONAL:
3–5 kale leaves
1 beet
1 yellow/orange/red pepper
1 banana

INCLUDE:
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 apple

I wrote a cranky review of a mediocre movie.

Jumbo's Death Day Pasta

Jumbo the African Elephant worked in P. T. Barnum's circus for three years before being struck and killed by a train in St. Thomas, Ontario on September 15, 1885. He'd helped Barnum make a fortune after Barnum had paid just £6,000 to transport him from England. Thousands of schoolchildren had written to the Queen to protest the sale. After being hacked up and dragged off the tracks, Jumbo's remains were exploited for profit. Barnum was a paragon of American greed and industry—a true villain. Jumbo's trainer, William Scott, who'd come over with him from England, was a much different person. He died in the Bridgeport almshouse in 1914, destitute and heartbroken.

serves: 2
prep. time: approx. 20 mins.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. pasta
5 beets' worth of beet greens, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 yellow squash, chopped
1 can navy beans
oregano
salt
black pepper
mustard
walnut oil
red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil water. Cook pasta.
2. Sauté onion in pan over medium heat. When translucent, add squash and beet greens.
3. Season. Strain beans and toss with contents of pan. After a few minutes, turn off heat and serve.

In a manner of speaking…

Pledge of Allegiance Lentil Soup

On September 8, 1892, Francis Bellamy's "Pledge of Allegiance" was published in the children's magazine The Youth's Companion. I wonder if kids in 1892 refused to pledge their allegiance. The original composition is good — much better than the current version, which is marred by a few inelegant revisions. Who knows, maybe I wouldn't have been a brat about reciting it if we'd been reciting I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

When is patriotism not jingoism? Give me cosmopolitanism, not military strikes on Syria.

My parents bought me a Vitamix! It's a wonderful machine. I'm going to make smoothies for breakfast every day. Tonight I made lentil soup.

serves: 2 or 3
prep. time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 c. red lentils
1 c. short-grain brown rice
6 collard leaves, chopped
1 white onion

3 cloves garlic

coconut milk

curry powder

cayenne powder

miso

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring rice and 1.75 c. water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 mins.

2. Bring lentils and 3 c. water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for however long the rice has left.

3. Put onion in Vitamix and blend on lowest speed until chopped.

4. Sauté onion with whole garlic cloves in oil. Add collards after a few minutes.

5. Put everything in Vitamix and blend, slowly increasing speed until desired consistency is attained. You might have to add ingredients in batches if they're too voluminous for the container prior to blending.

My friend H. recently moved to Brooklyn. She took me foraging for fruit last weekend. We picked a bunch of crab apples and made jam! It was super simple. Wash and cut up apples; cook in a pot with lemonade, agave nectar, two cloves, and some cinnamon over low heat until mushy; eat on bread.

I wrote a film review for the first time in months. This one's about crows and a cat. You can read it here.