Rhino Force, Funny, Books.

Yesterday I received a delightful gift from South Africa, in the mail. It was a Rhino Force bracelet the proceeds from which will be used to fight against rhino poaching which is such a big problem these days. I  nearly fell over when I saw they were R 199, then found out that is $20 Canadian. I then thought I wouldn’t mind getting the little bead rhino Baby Ralph. Its a delightful way of aiding rhinos which are dying by the hundreds to provide medicine for Asians which nothing can convince them is useless. There is a lot of money in the trade and not only do they steal rhino horn, not always killing the animal either, but they kill the rangers too. Elephants are also under attack because of their tusks. Soon the only ones of these creatures will be in zoos.

Here’s another funny I picked up on Facebook and which I thought I would share.
Someone commented this gag has legs.

I am very upset, I have just found out the last book in the series I am reading, In Her Name, won’t be out til December this year, I thought it was already published. Woe is me and all that. How very frustrating, I am not far from the end of the penultimate book having read seven so far, it has been a gripping series and I could wish it to go on forever.  This is a copy of the proposed last book, I gather the title is not yet fixed. I now have another book by this author called Season of the Harvest. The author, Michael R. Hicks gives away the first book in his trilogies so, he says, you can find out if you want to read the rest. I will see what this other trilogy is like. If this first set of books is anything to go by I should enjoy them. If you haven’t yet tried them, I recommend you pick up the first book for free. It’s called First Contact.

I really am not familiar with the following dish, but it sounds delicious and apparently only needs a fried egg on top to make it into a non vegan dish if that is your choice. I love this kind of dish so am sure I will enjoy it, if I can find the ingredients locally.

Crispy Tofu Bibimbap with Mustard Greens and Zucchini

Contributed by Michael Natkin 

• SERVINGS: 4

Michael Natkin’s version of the Korean dish bibimbap—rice topped with a mix of pickled and cooked vegetables—forgoes the usual runny fried egg on top to be a delicious vegan dish.

1. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2. 1 teaspoon sugar
3. 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
4. 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
5. Kosher salt
6. 1 cup sushi rice
7. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8. 2 garlic cloves, minced
9. 12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps thickly sliced
10. One 14-ounce box extra-firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 3-by- 1/3-inch sticks
11. One 12-ounce bunch of mustard greens—stems and inner ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped
12. 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
13. 1 small zucchini, cubed
14. 2 tablespoons kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) or 2 tablespoons of soy sauce mixed with 1 teaspoon of molasses
15. 4 scallions, thinly sliced
16. Gochujang (Korean chile paste, see Note) or Sriracha, for serving

1. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar with the sugar, cucumbers, 1 teaspoon of the ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice with 1 1/3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until tender, 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
3. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Add the garlic and shiitake, season with salt and cook over high heat, stirring, until browned, 6 minutes; scrape onto a platter. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and add the tofu. Cook over high heat, turning, until browned, 5 minutes. Scrape the tofu onto the platter, keeping it separate from the mushrooms.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the mustard greens and sesame oil, season with salt and cook until the greens are wilted and just tender, 4 minutes. Add the greens to the platter. Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the skillet. Add the zucchini and cook over high heat until softened, 3 minutes. Add the kecap manis and cook until the zucchini is glazed, 1 minute; scrape onto the platter. Keep warm.
5. Mound the rice in bowls and arrange the cooked vegetables in separate piles. Using a slotted spoon, add the pickled cucumbers to the bowls. Garnish with the scallions and a dollop of gochujang and serve.

Notes Gochujang is available at Korean markets or from hmart.com.

Have a great day