Joy, Sorrow, and Gobi Bhurji with Peas

It’s been a wonderful, horrible week.

The weekend before last, in celebration of Jeff’s birthday, we went to visit his parents in Los Angeles. We had the most amazing time, visiting not one but two farmers’ markets, touring, dining at all sorts of fabulous restaurants (including Chef Tal Ronnen’s Crossroads, which offers up delicious plant-based small plates), and generally enjoying each others’ company. We spent time with my in-laws’ friends, who were incredibly kind and gracious, and we even had a nice cross-country flight home.

At the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market

On the beach in Santa Monica

And yet in Boston and Texas, tragedy struck. Then, as if the horror of those events wasn’t enough, in our personal lives, more sadness. Shortly after arriving home, we realized that our sweet little dog, Tippy, was having trouble breathing. At first we thought it was a fluke—she wasn’t gasping, just working a little harder to get air than you’d expect.

However, a trip to the vet yielded sobering news: Tippy has congestive heart failure, secondary to a longstanding heart murmur, and won’t be with us much longer. It could be a week, it could be a year, but our time with our kooky little canine is drawing to a close.

You pet owners out there know the heartbreak we’re feeling. Tears sneak up on me from out of nowhere. My chest is heavy with the weight of it.

And yet Tippy, who’s now on meds and breathing easy, has no clue why we’re so blue. She’s living right here in the moment—pouncing on her tennis ball, dancing on her tiptoes, and snoozing in sun puddles.

So I’m going to do my best to follow her lead, savoring each minute as it comes. I’ll enjoy her company right here in the present. I’ll take a moment to feel the sun on my face when I walk out the front door. And I’ll share a recipe with you that has brightened many of my days since I discovered it: Gobi Bhurji with Peas, a delicious Indian-spiced ground cauliflower dish.

It’s from one of my favorite blogs, Rugrat Chow, which features whole-food, plant-based recipes that are as easy to make as they are delicious.

Better yet, this Gobi Bhurji is oil free, and I don’t even add salt because the turmeric and coriander and ginger and garlic add so much flavor on their own. In fact, there’s not much I’d change about this recipe, except that I toast the cumin seeds and use fresh garlic and ginger (but only because I can’t find ginger-garlic paste at my grocery store). So why don’t you head on over to Rugrat Chow and try it out? You won’t be disappointed.

Recipe: Gobi Bhurji with Peas

In the meantime, my heart goes out to all of those who lost loved ones this past week, and I hope that this post finds you and yours safe and healthy.