My lunch for the week

My first meal cooked from Vegan Soul Kitchen turned out 90% successful.

I made BBQ tempeh with a cabbage, carrot and cayenne coleslaw. It would have been the jam but I found it rather salty. It called for a 1/4 cup of tamari and I substituted it with Braggs Liquid Aminos. Next time I'll probably use 1/8 cup and add a little more tomato sauce (No Salt Added).

The coleslaw was pretty easy and I think it will complement the bbq well. I was flipping through some channels before cooking looking for something to listen to and found a Book TV program on CSPAN with Jonathan Safran Foer and Frank Bruni about food sustainability, which obviously I'm interested in. It's not my raison d'être, but it's hard to avoid the subject when I'm pursuing veganism.

Speaking of what I may or may not be on this planet to do, I've been trying to keep up with what is happening in Sudan lately, mostly through reading the Enough Project blog. My friend Maggie works for them as a field researcher stationed in Juba, South Sudan. This month marks the five year anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the north and south. According to the CPA 2010 is when Sudan is supposed to hold their presidential election. Needless to say, there's a lot happening on the ground. I haven't had the nightmares about Bashir or anything though, thank goodness. It could be because my bed is facing a different direction.

I think about Sudan every day. I don't necessarily know if I'm praying about it, but I'm certainly sending lots of positive vibes, hopeful wishes, good feelings and generally anything I can. Having a close friend there now actually makes me worry even more about it. I'd appreciate it if you prayed/hoped/wished/sent good vibes for Maggie and Sudan today, too. I wish I could find a way to be in connection with activists here but I'm not sure if there's time for it.

That said, I've emailed the people at the International Rescue Committee to see what the deal is with the orientation for being an ESL volunteer. Here's to progress in the new year!