Hello, HIVE!
There is a tradition in the Philippines where we abstain from eating meat and fowl as a form of sacrifice, penance, and communion with the suffering of Jesus Christ during Easter. Of course, this became easier for me when I became a vegetarian but I still think that it is a spiritual reminder through food.
We have a lot of customs and practices during these days, one of them is the reading of the Pabasa (Passion of the Christ), which is a reading of the Pasyon, a poem depicting the life, death, and resurrection of the Christ. Another one is the practice of self-flagellation done by devotees as penance for sins committed or vow for an answered prayer; some go to the extent of having themselves nailed to the cross.
There are many other traditions, for this most sacred of days, but this is a #foodie blog post, so for today, I want to share with you all a dish I prepared the other day: Vegetarian Spaghetti, with #vegetarian meat-free balls.
Ingredients
For this dish, I used the following: Del Monte Spaghetti, Tomato Paste, meat-free balls, coconut oil, water, bay leaves, mushroom powder, sugar, salt and pepper.
Procedure
1.Cook the spaghetti according to directions and set aside.
2.Heat 1/4 cup of water in a pan, then add 150 grams of tomato paste.
3.After 5 minutes, add in 5 pieces of bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of mushroom powder, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and salt and pepper. Cook in low heat for another 10 minutes.
4.In another pan, heat two tablespoons of cooking oil, then add four pieces of meat-free balls. Fry evenly for 2 minutes or so. Set aside.
5.Check the spaghetti sauce and adjust for taste.
6.Put the cooked spaghetti in a plate, add an adequate amount of sauce, then top with the meat-free balls. I added cheese for the extra flavor.
7.Serve hot and enjoy.
It was a quiet Holy Week at our place: the weather was just right, the people I met looked calm and quiet, and the place was peaceful. It helped that there were family and friends who provided interesting conversation and insights about life and living.
The #plant-based spaghetti was a topic of conversation because we loved eating it when we were kids. The abundance of meat-free alternatives these days means that it won't be difficult to transition into a vegetarian or vegan diet if one were to go in that direction.
Finally, thanks for reading up to here and checking out my #foodie post. I hope you are all in a safe and healthy place. Love and peace!
@juanvegetarian*I own all the photos in this blog post and used canva templates.