Nothing lasts, nothing is finished and nothing is perfect .
Before I share this delicious, imperfect, vegan plum galette recipe, I wanted to share my new point of view.
It is a new expression I recently discovered, and it seems to fit my life perfectly. That phrase is wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi represents a Japanese world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.
Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection, and accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay and death.
It celebrates cracks and crevices and all other marks that time and use leave behind.
It reminds us that we are all but transient beings on this planet. As we age, our own imperfections become even more apparent, and we become more judgmental of ourselves. Well, those days are over. From this moment on, I want to live a wabi-sabi life, and always be in a state of gratitude for all my imperfections in life and in my food.
Friday I made an immensely complicated recipe from another blogger's site. Although delicious, the pots, the pans, the time and energy that went into that modest dish could have been revealed in a much simpler way.
It taught me a lesson I already knew and that is…cooking doesn't have to be complicated to be delicious.
The following day I found some lovely plums on sale and thought it would be fun to create a vegan plum galette desert, and I wanted to kept it easy.
It wasn't pretty, but it was delicious with all its imperfections. So, welcome to the new wabi-sabi vegan who will not be afraid to create recipes that are flawed but yummy. Here, is my imperfect but delicious vegan plum galette.
Ps
A good example of wabi-sabi in Japanese arts is the poetry called Haiku. Haiku is a short form of poetry and traditionally consists of of 17 syllables in three phases of 5, 7 and 5. My dear friend Jen and I wrote a haiku a couple of years ago while on a hike. It went like this.
“The strength of our legs
Endless possibilities
Awaken the fire within”
I would love to start collecting some vegan Haikus so if you have a minute, write one and post it on the blog. It would be a powerful way to share our passion for vegan food, saving the planet and animals. Can't wait to see what you create. Vegan Day 450 – Wish me luck
- 2¼ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cold vegan shortening
- ½ cup cold Earth Balance vegan butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 2¼ teaspoons cider vinegar
- 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water, more if needed
- Plums (or could be apricots & raspberries)
- 1½ pounds plums (approximately 8 - all varieties)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar (depending on the sweetness of plums)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (or plain vanilla)
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon course sugar
- To make the dough using a food processor. Pulse together the flour salt and sugar until thoroughly combined, Add the shortening and pulse until incorporated (the dough will look like moist sand). Add the butter and pulse just until the butter is reduced to pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle the vinegar and water over the mixture, and pulse a few times to form the dough. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until it comes together in a single mass. Mold the dough into a disk and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
- Cut each plum into wedges, discarding the pits. Combine the plums with the granulated sugar and extract. Toss well to mix
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator to a flat surface lined with a lightly floured sheet of parchment. Roll the dough into a rough circle about 15 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough on parchment paper to a baking sheet. Don't remove parchment paper.
- Gently stir in the sliced almonds into the plums. Spoon the plums into the center of the dough. Fold the outer 3 inches of the dough circle toward the center to make a packet, leaving the inner 4 or 5 inches of plums uncovered. I just left it flat since the dough was not cooperating.
- Lightly brush the pastry with the egg wash, scatter the coarse sugar over the plums and pastry.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown and the plums are softened, about 45 minutes. Start checking the galette after 30 minutes and loosely cover the fruit with a sheet of foil if they color too quickly. Cool the galette 15 to 20 minutes before slicing. Delicious with some vegan ice cream on top.
Looks delicious- Good Job!
The clip you provide from Forks Over Knives actually moved me to tears. I am crying for my patients. These are the people I take care of everyday in my practice as a Registered Nurse who specializes in the treatment of Renal (kidney) Failure and Acute Hemodialysis. The immense suffering caused by food addiction and poor dietary choices is indescribable to those who have not seen it first hand. Diabetes, blindness, renal failure, fatty liver, amputations, cardiac bypass, disability. Largely preventable. Yet there are those who truly have crappy genes, and these are the unfortunate innocents.
And this new Cupcake craze is -crazy!!! And shame on the media for promoting this industry. Just what we need to add to our diet- mountains of sugar and lard in a pretty package. But they do look yummy!!! Don’t judge a book by its cover?
As Jackie O once said “You can never be too rich or too thin”. Not to advocate anorexia, as you can be too thin, but everyone should try to strive to be within their normal BMI. Body Mass Index calculators are easily accessed on the net. Is it easy to lose weight-no. Is it doable-yes. Cupcakes? As Nancy Reagan would say “Just say NO.” Kudos to Michelle Obama for her focus on childhood obesity. Very smart lady and a very good Mom.