Cashew Cheese, Persimmon Avocado Caprese, and the Four Sparkling Gems! Yippie!

As you may have been in a recent Yoga class, I have gifted the teaching, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. I came across this many years ago, loved it, then placed it on the book shelf. A few weeks ago I had an internal experience that I could not find peace in. Lucky for a keen eye, I saw a sparkling gem on my bookshelf, eagerly opened and read within a magical hour. Bamm... my world was shifted upside down. This teaching has brought light into my life when I most needed it. I hope you can receive this gift as blessing to your life. 

The Four Agreements are:

1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

(Above information from http://www.toltecspirit.com/) 

*Check out the articles from this website to learn more, or buy the book! : )

Rich and Creamy Cashew Cheese

This is great on its own and can be flavored to your tastes. Try blending in 1/2 cup chopped parsley and chives; 2 Tbs. diced chipotles in adobo sauce; or 2 tsp. dried herbs (oregano, basil, tarragon) in the food processor after the base mixture has been processed smooth.

• 2 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked 12–24 hours, and drained
• 2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
• ¼ tsp. granulated onion powder
• ⅛ tsp. granulated garlic powder
• ⅛ tsp. white pepper, optional

Place cashews in bowl of food processor. Process 1 minute, or until rough paste forms. Add 1/2 cup water and remaining ingredients. Process 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth. Transfer to lidded container, and refrigerate 12 hours to allow to thicken. Spread on sandwiches, crackers, or pita.

*(Recipe from November 2012 p.71 Vegetarian Times)

Persimmon-Avocado Caprese

Serves 4

30 minutes or fewer

Persimmons stand in for tomatoes and avocados take the place of mozzarella in this Asian take on a classic Italian appetizer. Use a serrated or ceramic knife to slice the persimmons—straight-bladed steel knives can have a hard time cutting through the skin and tender flesh.

• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 ½ tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 Fuyu or Hachiya persimmons, sliced
• 1 avocado, halved and thinly sliced
• ½ tsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1 green onion, trimmed and thinly sliced

1. Whisk together sesame oil and soy sauce in small bowl. Set aside.

2. Arrange persimmon and avocado slices in overlapping pattern on serving plates. Drizzle with sesame oil mixture, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion.

*(Recipe from November 2012 p.64 Vegetarian Times)

“Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.”
― Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements

Kamut Lentil Gratitude Salad

GRATITUDE by Pema Chodron“The slogan ‘Be grateful to everyone’ is about making peace with the aspects of ourselves that we have rejected. Through doing that, we also make peace with the people we dislike. More to the point, being around people we dislike is often a catalyst for making friends with ourselves. Thus, “Be grateful to everyone.” If we were to make a list of people we don’t like – people we find obnoxious, threatening, or worthy of contempt – we would find out a lot about those aspects of ourselves that we can’t face. If we were to come up with one word about each of the troublemakers in our lives, we would find ourselves with a list of descriptions of our own rejected qualities, which we project onto the outside world. The people who repel us unwittingly show the aspects of ourselves that we find unacceptable, which otherwise we can’t see. In traditional teachings on lojong it is put another way: other people trigger the karma that we haven’t worked out. They mirror us and give us the chance to befriend all of that ancient stuff that we carry around like a backpack full of boulders. “Be grateful to everyone” is getting at a complete change of attitude. This slogan is not wishy-washy and naive. It does not mean that if you’re mugged on the street you should smile knowingly and say “Oh, I should be grateful for this” before losing consciousness. This slogan actually gets at the guts of how we perfect ignorance through avoidance, not knowing we’re eating poison, not knowing that we’re putting another layer of protection over our heart, not seeing the whole thing. “Be grateful to everyone” means that all situations teach you, and often it’s the tough ones that teach you the best. There may be a Juan or Juanita in your life, and Juan or Juanita is the one who gets you going. They’re the ones who don’t go away: your mother, your husband, your wife, your lover, your child, the person that you have to work with every single day, part of the situation you can’t escape. There’s no way that someone else can tell you exactly what to do, because you’re the only one who knows where it’s torturing you, where your relationship with Juan or Juanita is getting into your guts. When the great Buddhist teacher Atisha went to Tibet… he was told the people of Tibet were very good-natured, earthy, flexible, and open; he decided they wouldn’t be irritating enough to push his buttons. So he brought along with him a mean-tempered, ornery Bengali tea boy. He felt that was the only way he could stay awake. The Tibetans like to tell the story that, when he got to Tibet, he realized that he need not have brought his tea boy: the people there were not as pleasant as he had been told. In our own lives, the Bengali tea boys are the people who, when you let them through the front door of your house, go right down to the basement where you store the things you’d rather not deal with, pick out one of them, bring it to you, and say “Is this yours?” Pema Chodron 

Kamut is the ancient Egyptian word for wheat. Even though Kamut is very closely related to whaet, many people who are wheat intolerant can eat Kamut with no problems. Kamut holds a power packed bite of nutrition with considerable amounts of protein, fiber, and essential minerals. Kamut is a healthy high energy grain with elevated levels of vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Zinc. Pantothenic acid, Copper and Complex carbohydrates.

Kamut Lentil Gratitude Salad

  

1 Cup Dry Kamut, Cooked with about 3 cups of clean water

1/2 Black Lentils, Cooked with about 1 cup of clean water

Red Pepper, Cucumber, Onion, Daikon, Carrot diced in small pieces

Black Olives sliced

Parsley Minced

Optional Tofu diced in little squares

Dressing: 1/2 Cup Rice, white/red wine vinegar, 1/2-1/4 Olive or Sesame Oil, Sea Salt, 1 T Honey, Optional jalapeno pepper or cayenne

Simple. Hand mix Salad ingredients, and blend dressing ingredients, then combine. Smile and give gratitude!

Recently at a Thanksgiving Pebble Hill Service I had the privilege to listen to two amazing speakers named Cindy Greb and Kalie Marino. I will forward a link to a friend’s blog of her beautiful perception.http://blog.beliefnet.com/blissblog/2013/11/alchemical-gratitude.htmlNamaste!

Almond Fun!

In the fall, through the winter solstice, we are in the metal element of the Five Element Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The metal element is associated with the lungs and large intestine, pungent tastes, the color white, and the emotion of grief and sadness. Some of the foods connected with autumn and the metal element are; rice, navy beans, almonds, celery, mustard greens, onions, radish,  broccoli, cucumbers, pears, and bananas.  Any favorite recipes with metal foods you would like to share?  Do you have any questions about the Five Element theory or the metal element?  Please leave us your questions and I will answer them!

Almonds are rich in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Additionally, almonds are a significant source of protein and fiber, while being naturally low in sugar. About 23 almonds, a serving packs, 13 grams of healthy unsaturated fats, 1 gram of saturated fat and no cholesterol or salt. Of all tree nuts, almonds rank highest in protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin and niacin content by weight. As if the taste and versatility are not enough, almonds are known to promote heart health, weight maintenance, digestive health and regulate blood sugar helping diabetics. I purchase my almonds from www.almondsfromca.com in a 10lb bag. A treasure to have on hand, whether it’s inventing more ways to creatively use an almond or straight out of the bag, delicious!

Raw Fermented Almond Cheese

1-3 cups of almonds

1 T probiotic powder or 5 probiotic caps

1 T sea salt

1 t raw local  honey

Water According to need

Nutritional Yeast

Herbs of Preference, Minced Shallots or Garlic

Soak almonds for about 12 hours, or overnight. Then place the soaked almonds in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients, except the nutritional yeast and herbs.. Use small amounts of water. (If needed, scrape the sides of the food processor.) The consistency is best to be on their thicker side. Next put the almond mixture in a glass bowl, cover with a paper towel and wrap a rubber-band around the bowl. Leave out at room temp in a dark place for 12-36 hours. This gives it a chance to ferment/culture. Since here on the east coast, the temperatures are dropping quickly, it may take more time. You may taste test to desired fermentation stage. I usually wait until I smell a yogurt-like smell. From here you have a few options. First, you may hand mix or food process in nutritional yeast, herb or anything else according to your preference. I rolled the fermented almond cheese into small balls, flattened them, then dipped in cracked peppercorns, thyme dill shallot blend, and Mexican chili spice. They store for about 2 weeks in the fridge. Another option is to store in the fridge and use for many possible uses, This can be used as any other raw cheese.

Raw  Almond Cookies

1.5 Cups raw almonds processed in a food processor

1 Cup of Coconut Flour

¼ Cup of Coconut Oil

¼-⅓  Cup Raw Honey

¼ Cup Coconut Sugar

¼ Cup Cacao Nibs

Toppings: Goji Berry, Cacao Nibs, Shredded Coconut

Process the almonds until it forms a butter. Then add the coconut oil , honey, and cacao nibs. Pulse in or hand mix the coconut flour. Simple. Roll into inch size balls, flatten, top with desired goodies. Set the cookies on wax paper, refrigerate. In my house, they lasted 5 days tops, but I would imagine they keep well, especially frozen. These were spare of the moment cookies using simple ingredients yet super tasty and satisfying.

Nothing other people do is because of you. It is all because of themselves. All of us live in our own worlds. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that the others know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world. If someone gives you an optinion, don’t take it personally, because the truth is that this person is dealing with his or her own feelings, beliefs, and opinions. Page 48 The four agrements Miguel Ruiz

Namaste!

Scrambled Tofu Breakfast Burrito

 Scrambled Tofu Burrito

When you want a trustworthy and easy to modify standard scramble, this makes a great go-to.

This beautiful Sunday morning I enjoyed brunch with my lovely boyfriend, Colin. A wonderful variation from the recipe below using red palm oil for the radiant color, jalapeno, daikon radish, heirloom tomatoes, kidney beans, and my favorite chili spice.  What’s your fancy?

Spice Blend:

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed with your fingers

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced (or more, to taste)/and, or 1 small onion thinly sliced

1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Fresh black pepper to taste

First stir the spice blend together in a small cup. Add water and mix. Set aside.

(Optional and always space for creativity depending on what your food mood ring claims.)

Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Saute the garlic and onions in olive oil for a few minutes. Break the tofu apart into bite sized pieces and saute for about 10 minutes, using a spatula to stir often. Get under the tofu when you are stirring, scrape the bottom and don’t let it stick to the pan, that is where the good, crispy stuff is. Use a thin metal spatula to get the job done, a wooden or plastic one won’t really cut it. The tofu should get browned on at least one side, but you don’t need to be too precise about it. The water should cook out of it and not collect too much at the bottom of the ban. If that is happening, turn the heat up and let the water evaporate.Add the spice blend and mix to incorporate. Add the nutritional yeast and fresh black pepper. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Serve warm. Use scramble in breakfast burrito, wrap, sandwich, stuffed peppers, crepe filling.. countless possibilities!

You can include these additions to your scramble by themselves or in combination with one another.

Broccoli – Cut about one cup into small florettes, thinly slice the stems. Add along with the tofu.

Red Peppers – Remove stem and seed, finely chop one red pepper. Add along with the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Proceed with recipe.

Mushrooms – Thinly slice about a cup of mushrooms. Add along with the tofu.

Olives – Chop about 1/3 a cup of sliced olives. Add towards the end of cooking, after mixing in the nutritional yeast.

Spinach – Add about 1 cup of chopped spinach towards the end of cooking, after mixing in the nutritional yeast. Cook until completely wilted.

Carrots – Grate half of an average sized carrot into the scramble towards the end of cooking. This is a great way to add color to the scramble.

Black Beans- Mexican style with chili spice and maybe kick it up a notch with minced jalapenos. Add in towards the end of cooking so they don’t turn into mush.

Avocado – I almost always have avocado with my scramble. Just peel and slice it and serve on top. If you remember correctly I am CEO of the avocado club. : )

Taste is often forgotten when we eat the same foods regularly or are in a rush and eat while we are doing something else. Overconsumption of processed foods also numb our taste buds. Taking time to eat slower and savour our food will often result in eating less and becoming full sooner. Recently I experienced a deeper level of awareness with my taste and I invite you to open up to experiencing that as well.. The next time you sit down to enjoy a meal, notice the capacity with your sense of taste.

The word overconsumption reminded me of something. I personally want to share a short movie that is worth every 20 minutes of it,  called The Story of Stuff  Please watch, educate yourself and share with friends and family.

“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man’s-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again. ”- Pema  Chödrön

Namaste!

Spicy Banh Mi

The notorious Blue Sage Vegetarian Grill is a few miles down the road from Yogasphere's Sun Studio, and ain't that convenient. They have a sandwich just like this one that is Amazing. When I came across this recipe on VegetarianTimes.com, which by the way is a great resource if you are looking for new recipes, I wanted to share it. It is quick go to lunch that is quite filling. If anyone has any creative sandwich ideas they would like to share, it would be awesome to post in the comments bellow.

Spicy Banh Mi

Makes 1 large sandwich

30 minutes or fewer

You’ll love this version of a Vietnamese street-food sandwich favorite. Fill with baked tofu, or substitute 1 cup leftover fried tofu cubes from the Stir-fried Tofu Bento Box.

• ¼ cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. honey, agave nectar, or sugar
• ½–1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup shredded daikon radish
• ¼ cup shredded carrot
• 1 Vietnamese baguette or ½ French baguette, split in half lengthwise
• 1 Tbs. low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. red chile sauce, such as sriracha
• ¼ tsp. tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
• ½ cup baked Asian-flavored tofu, thinly sliced, or stir-fried tofu cubes
• 2 6-inch strips cucumber
• 6 sprigs cilantro
• 6 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 4 lettuce leaves, torn

1. Combine vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes in small bowl. Add daikon radish and carrot, and stir to mix. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place baguette on baking sheet, and crisp 5 minutes in oven. Cool 2 to 3 minutes. 3. Spread mayonnaise on both sides of bread. Sprinkle with red chile sauce and tamari. Fill with tofu, cucumber, and cilantro. Drain carrot-radish mixture, and spread on sandwich. Top with tomatoes and lettuce, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Press top half of baguette on sandwich, and slice sandwich in half.

May/June 2010 p.64

I wanted to share my plans for this week as I am super excited about them. This Wednesday I am leaving for a 10 day meditation retreat called Vipassana.

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills, and an Art of living.  I look forward to sharing my experience upon return, and will post on my personal blog if interested.

“Vipassana is an insight that cuts through conventional perception to perceive mind and matter as they actually are: impermanent, unsatisfactory, and impersonal. Insight meditation gradually purifies the mind, eliminating all forms of attachment. As attachment is cut away, desire and delusion are gradually diluted. The Buddha identified these two factors— desire and ignorance— as the roots of suffering. When they are finally removed, the mind will touch something permanent beyond the changing world. That “something” is the deathless, supramundane happiness, called “Nibbana” in Pali.” (Vipassana Dura Meditation Society)”

Read more about Vipassana - Insight Meditation Technique - HOW TO MEDITATE for Beginners on: http://buddhist-meditation-techniques.com/vipassana-insight-meditation/?utm_source=INK&utm_medium=copy&utm_campaign=share&

“Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind and soul.” ― Amit Ray, Yoga and Vipassana: An Integrated Life Style

Back to school… Jolly Apples

Back to School…..

“Yaaay!!”, cheer all the moms!

It can be a hard transition going from the freedom of summer to the structure of the school year. But as we all know, it’s totally worth it.  Find what excites you, and learn more about it!

Apples are invading my consciousness and somehow go hand and hand with school, or at least in my mind.  The old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, is still pretty cool even for kids to say these days. You know some of those old phrases grandparents say, um yeah.

Apple picking is one of my favorite back to school time festivities. There’s nothing quite like picking an apple fresh from the tree. Apples as we know it, are one the healthiest foods to eat. Apples are packed with vitamins C, A, fiber, and flavonoids and with smaller amounts of phosphorus, iron and calcium. According to Chinese Medicine, apples strengthen the heart, quench thirst, lubricate the lungs, decrease mucous and increase body fluids.

Interesting apple facts:

• There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples.
• The apple tree is a member of the rose family.
• When you eat an apple you are consuming a lot of air; 25 percent of their volume is air.
• Apples have 5 percent protein.
• Apple trees can live to be 100 years old!
• The largest apple weighed three pounds.
• In ancient Greece when a man proposed to a woman he would toss her an apple and if she decided to catch it, it meant she accepted.
• It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.Vegan Apple Cranberry Crumble

Vegan Apple Cranberry Crumble

Recipe courtesy of Chef Peter Berley, author of The Flexitarian Table.

SERVINGS
8

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds apples such as Golden Delicious, Gala, Winesap, or Mutsu, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup cranberries
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or corn starch
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Topping:
11/2 cup unbleached flour/ or any type of flour
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup natural brown sugar/ or coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
8 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, coconut oil, or vegetable oil

PREPARATION
1. Set the oven to 375. In a large bowl, add the apples, maple syrup, cranberries, arrowroot, lemon zest, and cinnamon and toss well. Transfer to 1 or 2 pie dishes.

2. To make the topping: Combine the flour, almonds, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix well with a whisk. Add the butter or oil and toss with your fingertips to form a crumbly topping. Spread over the apples and cover with foil.

3. Bake for 30 minutes then remove the foil and bake at 350 for another 20-30 minutes until the apples are bubbling and the topping is nicely browned. Remove the crumble from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

“Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will save his life.” -Confucius

Namaste!

Jackfruit BBQ

JACKFRUIT BBQ….

We are creatures of habit… true! I noticed a common answer among most of my clients, when asked the question, what do you typically eat in a day? Initial reaction is, “I eat pretty healthy”. Once the question has sunk bellow the surface, it’s quite common for them to realize they eat a lot of the same foods. Those same foods are typically processed and come packaged with a paragraph of ingredients. So, again I am inviting you to step out of your comfort box of meals and be a bit more adventurous.

Jackfruit, native to Thai land, is enormous and prickly on the outside. As jackfruit is cooked, it begins to soften and pulls apart in a meat-like texture.  It is completely versatile, full of fiber and B vitamins. The fruit’s isoflavonoids, antioxidants, and phytonutrients mean that jackfruit has cancer-fighting properties. Also known to help cure ulcers and indigestion.

 

Jackfruit BBQ

1-3 T olive oil or cooking oil

1 large onion

fresh garlic minced, to taste

jalapeno or green/red pepper minced

favorite BBQ sauce and/or hot sauce

 In a large frying pan, cook the jackfruit, onions, pepper and garlic. Towards the end of cooking, add in the BBQ and hot sauce. Awesome to use in sandwiches or wraps. Summer BBQ’s are coming to an end before you know it, maybe try this recipe and share with friends and family!   Possibilities are endless!

There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
Buddha 

“Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked.” Patanjali- The yoga sutras

Namaste!