Saturday 31 July 2021

Yule 2021

Here in Australia, we celebrate the winter solstice in June. While all my US friends are welcoming summer, we are having our shortest day. You can see my other posts about celebrating sabbats here.

Yule aka Winter Solstice (21st of June, 2021)

Traditional Yule food is similar to what might be considered a typical Christmas dinner, given that in the Northern Hemisphere Yule was coopted into Christmas. Food might include roasts, winter vegetables, apples, dried fruits, nuts, warming spices, and certain baked goods (like fruit cake and yule log). But for me these days, Yule food is about cozy winter warming.

Mushroom Miso Barley Soup from Power Plates by Gena Hamshaw: This recipe is easy to make and just perfect for a dark winter night. I always soak my pearled barley overnight to help it cook quicker. This recipe has onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and tofu in it (I used some Soyco Japanese Tofu), as well as barley (or course) and greens (the recipe called for kale, I used baby spinach). I made a half serve, which gave two big servings.
Rating: :)

Mushroom Miso Barley Soup


Apple Butter Drops from Whole Grain Vegan Baking by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes: Winter is made for filling the kitchen with warm baking smells. I meant to make these as the apple ginger variation, but I forgot to add the ginger at the start, so mixed it in to the dough before baking. But I couldn't really taste any ginger. These make big cookies, and they are quite soft. They are not very sweet, so they are great for a snack any time of the day. They are filled with apple butter, and then another dollop of cookie dough is put on top to partially cover.
Rating: :)

Apple Butter Drops


8 comments:

  1. That stew sounds so cozy & warming! I'll have to keep that one in mind for a couple of months from now when things get chilly.

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    1. It is definitely a good one for the winter warmer recipe list.

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  2. Do you also have Christmas in July? In the US its just another shopping day but I was wondering what happens in Australia? By the way your solstice food looks delicious.

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    1. Funnily enough, I do have a Christmas in July post coming up soon. Though it is not a big thing here, and I don't normally do it. There aren't any sales, it is more some restaurants or groups will have Christmas in July. Because it is so hot here in actual Christmas, it is nice to have a cozy hot Christmas dinner at a slightly cooler time of year.

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  3. Miso barley soup with mushrooms sounds perfect for winter! That's one of the prettiest winter soups I think I've ever seen.

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  4. That soup looks so incredible! I agree that cooler weather calls for delicious smells coming from the kitchen!!

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    1. Agreed! I am trying to do a bit more baking over the cooler months this year.

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