advice on halloumi
halloumi is this squeaky grill-able/fry-able cheese that is traditionally middle eastern. the beauty of this sheep/goats milk cheese is that it is tasty and hearty and can be the star of many vegetarian meals. try it in a flatbread with tzaziki, hummus, and pickled onions, or top it with a bit of salsa over some rice and beans. beware halloumi is a little spendy (around $10 a block) but think of it as you would a nice steak. for this dish i picked up these petite and piquant caper tomatoes from half pint farm. pretty sure they were the smallest tomatoes i have ever eaten.
who.what.where?
i return to you this week after a couple of months absence. that time was filled with vacations, busy work weeks, daylight savings, dropping mercury, family issues, and post-election depression. It has been especially hard to shake the dread of the election outcome. i keep thinking of the cliché- that this has all been a dream- something so absurd could never truly happen. but here we are, enduring constant coverage of the president elect’s reality show circus of a cabinet filled with climate change denier’s and white supremacist sympathizers.
leading up to the election i had an addiction to the political chatter. going to bed reading the latest story, waking up in the morning to refresh the feed. breaking news was the quick fix, but no scoop on the president elect ever calmed my nerves, no blistering op-ed left me feeling confident that the final glass ceiling would be shattered. the nightmare hasn’t ended. and I can’t seem to shake this feeling, that the ground is no longer steady and a virulent darkness lurks in the month of january.
i come from a life of comforts and privilege, i have less than some but much more than many. I am guilty with surrounding myself with like-minded idealists, i hang in liberal enclaves even in the digital sphere. i have become complacent and apathetic over the years, not knowing how to effect change, but not striving to figure it out. there are many issues i care deeply about like climate change, animal welfare, sustainable agriculture, reproductive rights, gun control, criminal justice reform, and gender quality. i donate to these causes when my wallet allows, i sign petitions, i’ve called representatives, but i know i could be doing more. at times i struggle with feeling like my efforts are inadequate. one thought i’ve come back over and over is of the civil rights movement, and specifically of the freedom riders. if i had lived during that time would i have had the courage to participate, to put my life and comfort at risk? what can i do now to make my future self proud?
those are my thoughts for now, i'm still working through the motions, and i'm looking for ways to turn my concerns into actions so if you have advice/suggestions please share in the comments. bear with me while it hit you with a peppering of links with an activist bent, i'll try to include at least a few for shear entertainment.
oh&get sidetracked
obama's through the years
cool homeware shop
required viewing here & here
reading resistance
thoughtful perspectives from a favorite author
an important letter on
stand with standing rock
those printed tights though
this looks epic- scorsese x japan
not surprising
one big pink dream
pretty neat
the way to go
1 package of halloumi sliced into ¼ inch pieces
2 cups of caper tomatoes or a pint of cherry tomatoes sliced in half
a couple of spoonfuls of prepared olive caper tapenade
1 persian cucumber sliced thin
1 handful of basil leaves
drizzle of olive oil
fresh cracked pepper
coat a frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high, then place halloumi in pan and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. remove halloumi from heat and place on a paper towel lined plate. to assemble place 2 slices of halloumi on a plate and arrange cucumber, basil, and tomatoes. take spoonfuls of tapenade and sprinkle around the plate, then drizzle olive oil around the dish. finish with a few twists of the pepper mill.
cyk,
b