Leave It To Leaves

Trail Notes November 2021: Stress Edition

Stress-less Holiday Recipes

One-pot Vegan Jambalaya

Ingredients: 

• 1 ½ yellow onions
• 3 red bell peppers
• 3 sticks celery
• 3 cups white mushrooms, pre-sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 cups canned diced tomatoes
• 1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 ½ Tbsp cajun seasoning
• 4 ½ cups kidney beans
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
• 4 ½ cups brown rice (dry)
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions:

• Finely chop onion, red bell pepper, celery, and white mushrooms.
• In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add onion, garlic, celery, and red bell pepper and stir, cook 2 to 3 minutes, until onion starts to soften. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Add diced tomatoes and tomato past, stir and add cajun seasoning. Cook 2 more minutes.
• Add kidney beans, soy sauce, dried thyme, white mushrooms, and rice. Stir and cook 2 minutes, then add 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Cover tightly and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
• Turn off heat and let stand 10 minutes before opening lid. Fluff rice with a fork and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro (optional).

Recipe from PlateJoy

Red Cabbage and Apple Salad with Pecans

Ingredients (original ingredients in parenthesis): 

• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 apples
• 1 lemon
• 1 red cabbage
• ½ cup pecans
• ½ cup vegan blue cheese, vegan feta, vegan tofu feta (blue cheese)

Directions:

• In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and mustard. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Thinly slice apples; in a medium bowl, toss apple with 4 tsp juice from lemon. Thinly slice red cabbage.
• In a large bowl, combine apple, red cabbage, pecans and vegan blue cheese. Toss with dressing to taste.

Recipe adapted from PlateJoy

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

(Makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients (original ingredients in parentheses): 

• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 2 flax eggs (lightly beaten eggs)

• 1/2 c almond milk (milk)
• 1 can pumpkin purée (1 cup)
• 1/2 c pumpkin seeds

Optional

• 1/2 c chopped walnuts 
• 1/2 c raisins

Directions:

• Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat.  Set aside. 
• Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl (except the pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and raisins).  
• Carefully stir in the wet ingredients. 
• Fold in walnuts and raisins. 
• Spoon mixture into a muffin tin.
• Sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds on top. 
• Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Test with a toothpick. 
• Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from “500 cupcakes” by Fergal Connolly

Health of Seminarians Research Findings

September 2021

One of our commitments as an organization is to conduct research specifically focused on the current state of seminarian health and wholeness.  In the summer and fall of 2020, Travis Webster (HSHC co-founder) conducted his dissertation research study* among seminarians who attend Christian seminaries and divinity schools in the United States.  The purpose of his study was to explore whether the factors that contribute to pastoral unhealth are already present in pastoral formation.  While Travis is closing in on finishing his dissertation, we did not want to wait any longer to share some of what he discovered!  Here is a “sneak peek” at some of his results.  

Note: very little research has been done on the health of seminarians.  Therefore, we believe that the information Travis has gathered will positively contribute to addressing the overall health and wellbeing of seminarians, clergy, and congregations.  

When Seminarians Were Asked…

Trail Notes: What Do “Health” & “Wellness” Mean To You?

Just as many schools across the nation have recently been starting up again for the fall term, HSHC will also be starting our “new semester” by kicking off our annual small groups program with seminarians and seminarian partners/spouses next week.  Since we have shifted our program online, in part, due to COVID, but also so that we can expand our outreach, we will be having participants from a variety of different seminary communities come together each month to consider and discuss this year’s theme: “Building A Network of Health” in our vocation.  

One of the questions we usually ask the participants in our first monthly gatherings, and one I would like for you to consider for a moment is this: when you hear the words “health” and “wellness,” what images or words come to your mind? 

As you can imagine, participants’ responses vary considerably.  Why?  Because what it means to be “healthy,” and the wellness practices that we establish and follow to maintain our health, are all shaped and influenced by the multicultural contexts in which we live.  In other words, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to health and wellness.  This understanding is foundational to our organization and is one of the key concepts we share with our small group participants each year.

Being aware of and attentive to multicultural differences is important because:

• We generally have greater success in creating and maintaining our own health and wellness goals when we incorporate practices with which we resonate. 
• Being more mindful of our differences helps us to be less critical/judgmental of others’ wellness practices that may be different from our own.
• This hopefully encourages those who are able to advocate for people facing significant health disparities due to their gender, race, social economic status, etc.

What factors inform your idea of health and wholeness?

To give you an idea of how we start our online small group experience, I would like to invite you to do this exercise.  Using the “Multicultural Wellness Wheel,” created by the National Wellness Institute, please consider the following questions: 

• Without getting bogged down and/or overwhelmed by the details in this image, what strikes you about this image? 
• What questions arise for you?

We’d love for you to share your thoughts with us here so that we can continue this conversation in the HSHC community in the months to come.

Peace,

Karen H. Webster

HSHC Co-founder/Executive Director

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.”

1 Corinthians 12:12-14

“Grains & Greens” Salad

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup uncooked grains* (Karen’s favorite combination: 1/3 cup rinsed quinoa, 1/3 cup millet, 1/3 cup raw buckwheat grouts)
• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas/navy/cannellini beans or 1 (15-oz) can of beans (rinsed and drained) or frozen peas/edamame (thawed)
• 1 ½ cups chopped seasonal vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, snap peas, whatever you have on hand!)
• 1 ½ cups lightly cooked/blanched greens (collards/kale/spinach/etc.) 
• ½ – ¾ cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, and/or cilantro) or 1-2 TBSP dried herbs  
• ¼ cup lemon juice (approximately 2 to 3 lemons)
• 2-3 TBSP apple cider vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
• Splash of olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic (pressed or minced)
• ½ tsp salt
• Black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

• Cook grains: put the grains and the water in a medium saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.  Cook until the grains have absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer.  Remove from heat, cover, and let the grains rest for 5 minutes.
• In a large serving bowl, add the beans, chopped vegetables, greens, green onion, and herbs.  Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
• Once the grains are mostly cool, add them to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and adjust the other seasonings as needed. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
• This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4-5 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Note: I enjoy using millet and buckwheat because they are both nutrient rich, tasty, and generally speaking are more sustainable (socially and environmentally) than quinoa.  

Recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate

Herbs/Greens-On-Hand Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• Large handful of fresh herbs (parsley, basil, cilantro) or any kind of greens (spinach, kale, collards, mixed lettuce greens)
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2-3 TBSP lemon/lime juice and/or orange juice
• 1/4 yellow onion (or several green onions or 1 tsp onion powder)
• 1-2 garlic clove (or 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp garlic powder)
• ½ tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Optional:

• 2-4 tbsp olive oil or 1 small avocado pitted
• To add a touch of sweetness try: a bit of maple syrup, agave, more orange juice, and/or several TBSPs chopped dates

Directions:

Using an immersion blender/blender/mini food processor – add all of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Adapted from: Life Is But a Dish

Photo by Char Beck on Unsplash