Valentine Flowers - Ikebana Style

By Anne-Marie Keppel

Don't order flowers for your loved one this Valentine's Day. Instead, make your gift more intimate by creating an Ikebana arrangement!  

Ikebana, traditional Japanese flower arrangement, has its origins in Shinto where arrangements are a part of shrine offerings.  

What sets ikebana apart is the asymmetry in design - open spaces create harmony between the flower stems and the container.  

This contemplative art form is meant to bring beauty, vividness, and wisdom into our lives and environment. The practice of ikebana, combined with contemplative meditation, is art in action.  Although this is a very specific practice, you can try your hand at it with some beginner instructions  (if you cannot attend an ikebana class or find a friend to help you before Valentine's Day).  Simple instructions can be found at:  Ikebana Instructions eHow.com

For more information on other Shambhala Arts visit:  Shambhala Arts

*Karmê Chöling will be hosting Shambhala Art this April 6-13 with Arawana Hayashi and Laura Simms.

Winter Haiku

By Anne-Marie Keppel

Photo take by Anne-Marie Keppel at Karmê Chöling

First month

Bone deep cold.

Visible breath forms air bodies.

Through icicles water

Still flows.  

Seaweed Soup

By Anne-Marie Keppel

This is a very simple, highly nutritious, and delicious recipe.  It’s perfect to boost your immune system and detoxify your body.  It is vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free.  Of course, it's best if you can use an onion and scallion from your own garden or your neighbor's garden! 

Seaweed soup is delicious on it’s own as a light meal or can be a perfect appetizer, especially as a prelude or accompaniment to a rice dish.

Ingredients:

- One yellow onion

- Wakame seaweed

- Miso brown rice paste

- Sea salt

- One bunch of scallions

- Olive oil

- Tofu (sprouted tofu is best)

Preparation and cooking instructions:

- In a large pot, gently sauté the onion in olive oil until the onion is slightly transparent, but remains crunchy.

- Create broth by adding desired amount of hot water and brown rice paste to the sautéed onion.  Start with a half-gallon of water and 3/4 cup of paste and add more water or paste as needed.  Add sea salt to preferred taste.  Mix well until all the brown rice paste has dissolved into the water.

- Drain and cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces and add to broth.

- Add two cups of dried wakame seaweed. The seaweed will expand and soften in the water.  More seaweed may be added if desired.

- Chop the scallions and add to broth.

Since all these ingredients essentially can be eaten raw, cooking time is minimal. Make sure all the brown rice paste has dissolved, the seaweed has expanded to full size, and the tofu is warm all the way through. It's easy to reheat this soup and add fresh seaweed, so making a large quantity is a good idea. 

*Nutritional note: seaweed contains all of the minerals and many of the vitamins the human body requires for restoring and maintaining supreme health!  Seaweed is known to prevent diseases and enhance the healing process for cancer, heart disease, and immune deficiency disorders.