Tonight I learned that my aunt passed away. These are the times it is hardest to live so far away. I spent some time today remembering her.We worked together at a group home where we assisted three developmentally disabled adults with their daily routine. She was the mother figure in many ways-cooking, cleaning, etc. while I was able to do all the fun stuff-take everyone dancing, to concerts, or to the movies. I fondly remember one day when we had a meeting to attend with the folks from the house and she was making soup for everyone. She made me my very own pot of chicken noodle soup...minus the chunks of chicken. Of course it was all chicken broth, which to a vegetarian counts as meat. I was so very touched by her kindness and thoughtfulness that I ate it anyway! It was the one and only time I knowingly consumed chicken in 22 years of being vegetarian. My point is, it was a soup created in love, thoughtfulness, and generosity - all of the traits my Aunt Shirley embodied. I will miss her.
Tracy's Chickenless Noodle Soup
Ingredients (vary amounts according to how much soup you want to make)
~onion
~carrot
~celery
~olive oil
~chickenless broth or vegetable broth
~eggless noodles, or any wide noodle of your choice
~optional: firm tofu
Directions
1. Chop equal amounts of onion, carrot, and celery. I like to play around with wafer thin slices of carrot and a small dice on the celery and onion, but if you prefer chunky that works great too.
2. Saute vegetables in small amount of olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent.
3. Add broth and bring to a boil.
4. Add noodles and cook until tender, stirring with love, compassion, and kindness. (I often stir intentions into my food :-)
5. Add optional tofu and let simmer until tofu is heated through.
Share with someone who is under the weather, needs cheering up, or is the target of a random act of kindness.
2 comments:
As a side note: Five years ago, also in January, my father died of the same thing: lung cancer. He and Shirley were cousins and adored each other. May they be together again!
I love that you ate you aunt's chicken soup anyway! I am a firm believer that if someone serves you something out of love, then it can't hurt you. (Within reason, of course.) When I was growing up, I had a friend who was Hindu, and who was therefore vegetarian. She had this policy though, that if she was a guest in someone's house, and someone served her something, she would eat it without questioning what was in it. I always admired this about her.
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