This weekend was super fun! I enjoyed a nice Saturday off from WHBM to go to Terrain for brunch for a friend’s birthday, and then Chadds Ford Winery. I don’t normally booze that much, but a birthday seems like a perfect reason to enjoy the amazing weather we had with some Mimosas and a wine-tasting.

On to what I was talking about last week — I recently received certification as a Level I Usui Reiki Practitioner! Really exciting, actually. During the training, I was a bit skeptical at first of whether or not I’d be able to actually do what is required of practicing Reiki. It was an amazing thing, being able to actually feel the shift in energy when doing a body-scan on someone, and this unfamiliar sense of serenity I’ve had since I took the course. I’m required to practice Reiki on myself for 21 days after the certification, and I can practice on family and friends. I’m working on being more confident about it, so I figured I’d start with my dog (my teacher reassured that animals really enjoy Reiki as they already operate at a higher frequency than we do as humans). Imagine my surprise when my dog wanted NOTHING to do with me putting my hands on her head? She’s not feeling it. She even went so far as to cart of fat little behind off of my bed to sleep (she would never), just so that she didn’t have to deal with it. I haven’t tried it on her since we healed her possible fear/belief of energy work at dinner one night last week, so I suppose I’ll try again. PS – yes, we do all sorts of things at the dinner table… sometimes eating, but more often belief clearing, spiritual readings, pendulum work…. you know. Normal stuff.

Anyway, I’m all about the knowledge.. so I’ve gotten several books and educational stuff from Amazon about the study of Reiki… scholarly articles, educational books, the whole nine. I’m finding that like anything, the best practice and lessons come from doing it in person… so I will be working on finding reasons to practice on people.

On a side note, does anyone miss barbeque weather???? I miss grass, and sunshine, and a sun tan. I also came across something called jack fruit, which apparently mimics the texture of pulled pork, but it’s VEGAN! I was up for an adventure this morning as I didn’t work from the office… so as I did things on my computer, I let 2 cans of jackfruit simmer in some homemade bbq sauce, added some spices, and lo and behold… I sort of want to make someone try it who doesn’t know it’s not pork to see how different they think it tastes because I couldn’t tell the difference. It’s not chewy like pork since it isn’t meat, but it’s definitely tasty.

Check it out!

Spicy BBQ “Pulled Pork”! (Vegan, Paleo)

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 4.5 hours (high heat), 8.5 hours (low heat)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For the jackfruit:

• 2 20oz cans of young green jackfruit in water or brine
• 1/2 tsp ground Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

For the BBQ sauce:

• 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp grey poupon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

note: you can use your favorite storebought too — it cuts down on time!

Directions:

1. Combine BBQ sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until thickened, about 30-40 min. Once you reduce the heat, taste and adjust to preference – additional Dijon, vinegar or sugar may be preferred. Note: BBQ sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in your fridge for up to 7 days.
2. Meanwhile, rinse and drain your canned jackfruit, discarding the center little core piece. Place in your crockpot, and season with salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne and garlic, stirring to coat.
3. Add your thickened BBQ sauce over your jackfruit and allow to simmer on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours. If you’re around while it cooks, stir occasionally. If not – no worries! You can stir a few times before you serve to ensure the flavors are consistent throughout.
4. When ready to serve, shred to your preferred texture with two forks. Serve over buns, with some coleslaw, or over some veggies!

Enjoy!

-S