The Charmed Monday Minute, May 5

Hi, all -

I'm going back to a weekly Minute to see if I can keep these short--really a Minute to read. In my news, I don't have much except that I'm happy that it's spring (it doesn't look or feel like spring up here in the Catskills today, but we've had some hints and at least there's no snow).

I'm working on the edits and updates for The Love-Powered Diet which will be out in a new edition - its third incarnation - next year from Lantern Books. And I'm writing the essays for the sequel to Creating a Charmed Life. The publisher hasn't decided on a title yet but my working title is The Charmed Life Handbook: When You Absolutely, Positively Have to Live Remarkably.

Oh, we got it straightened out with Inspire Me Today: they will re-feature me in the fall. I apologize for any confusion there. And those of you who signed up but missed me can find me in the archives here.

Be well and happy -
Victoria

Recipe of the Week: Every time I don't do a recipe, somebody writes to me saying they missed it. I'm happy to share my favorites. As you've picked up from the past few Minutes, I'm doing a lot of raw food now so many of the recipes I'll share with you will be uncooked, but I'll share with you some of my favorite cooked recipes that my family has enjoyed over the years, like this one from Ingrid Newkirk's The Cookbook for People Who Love Animals (Warner Books): "Mock Chicken Loaf Florentine with Chickenless Gravy" For the loaf: 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen spinach, thawed 1 Tbls. vegetable oil or water 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 Tbls. imitation chicken-flavored powder, or 1 vegetable boullion cube 1 ¾ cups boiling water 2 cups TVP (textured vegetable protein) granules 1 pound soft tofu 1 cup gluten flour or ¾ cup whole wheat flour 1 Tbls. nutritional yeast flakes 1 ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. poultry seasoning ½ tsp. onion powder 3 Tbls. vegetable oil Chickenless gravy: 2 cups boiling water 2 Tbls. vegetable oil 3 Tbls. nutritional yeast 1 vegetable boullion cube ½ cup diced fresh mushrooms ½ cup finely chopped onion Onion salt to taste Unbleached all-purpose flour Steam the spinach and drain well. Heat the oil or water in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until transparent, about 5 minutes. Dissolve the imitation chicken-flavored powder or boullion powder in the boiling water. Add the TVP and let stand for about 10 minutes. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Pat the tofu dry, then mash. In a large bowl, combine the TVP mixture, spinach and tofu. Stir in the remaining ingredients and pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8 ½ x 4 1/2 -inch loaf pan. Smooth the top and bake for 45 minutes, or until brown on top. (If the loaf starts to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil.) Make the gravy. In a large saucepan, simmer all the ingredients except the flour for approximately 5 minutes. Slowly add the flour (tablespoon by tablespoon), whisking after each addition, until desired thickness is reached. Keep warm. Let load stand for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn out onto a platter. Serve with gravy. Serves 6 to 8. Preparation time: 45 minutes. Baking time: 45 minutes.

Correction: The New York Times has to do these so I can, too. Last week when I told you about creativity coach Debbie Abram, there was a typo in her email address. It should be Debbie_spiritdancer@yahoo.com. If your creativity is blocked or it's been crowded out for other things, drop her a line.

Quotation of the Week: "The animals of the world ... were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women were created for men." - Alice Walker in her introduction to Marjorie's Spiegel's bookThe Dreaded Comparison

Something for Moms of Every Sort: My dear friend (and one of my many mentors), Alice Marie is hosting a workshop in New York City on Saturday, May 17: "This Is an Emergence: Giving Birth to Your Authentic Self." It's for moms-to-be and anyone, male or female, who pregnant with a creative project. It's bargain ($15). Register at www.mamapalooza.com.

Where I'll Be: Friday, May 16 - Brookdale Community College (Lincroft, NJ) Women's Conference, "All in a Day's Work." I'm doing the closing keynote, "Fat, Broke & Lonely No More." The morning keynoter is executive VP of WE TV speaking on "The Other Side of the Tube," and the day is filled with terrific breakout sessions as well. For enrollment info or questions, email Linda Martin: lmartin@brookdalecc.edu. Sunday, May 18 - Unity Church of New York, Sunday service, 11 a.m., Symphony Space, 95th & Broadway, NYC. My topic will be "When You Get Lost Between the Moon and New York City." Sunday & Monday June 8 and 9 (and returning July 20-21) - I'm doing the evening lectures on "Younger by the Day" and "How to Live a More Spiritual Life" at the New Age Health Spa, Neversink, NY, www.newagehealthspa.com Thur. June 19-Sunday June 22 - North American Vegetarian Society Summerfest, Johnstown, PA, www.navs.org. They'll have me working a lot and doing various lectures throughout the week on health, well-being, aging well, making peace with food and weight, and bringing your ethics into the real world without being insufferable about it.

A New Internet Radio Event: Nancy Mills is the very focused woman who's come up with The Spirited Woman Circle Tele-Chat Conversation Series -- first Tuesday of the month, 10-11am PST, 1-2pm EST. Register at thespiritedwoman.com or call 888-428-1234. Here's the lineup: April 1: Jill Conner Browne, Sweet Potato Queens Books of Love May 6: Susan Miller, founder of www.Astrologyzone.com June 3: Carolyn Howard-Johnson, writer's advocate, "How to Do It Frugally" series of books July 1: Jacquelyn Mitchard, highly acclaimed author of Oprah's first Book Club pick, The Deep End of the Ocean August 5: Laurel Touby, founder of Mediabistro.com, just sold her company to Jupitermedia.com for $23 million September 2: Catherine Ryan Hyde, bestselling author of Pay It Forward October 7: Victoria Moran, self-help guru (I am?) and author of Creating a Charmed Life