Quick dinner anyone?

How 'bout a delicious, nutritious dinner in less than 15 minutes? Here we go...

You'll need:

1 bunch of organic broccoli
1 cup of quinoa (red or white)
2 tbsp of almond oil (olive oil will do)
1/4 cup of parm cheese (feel free to skip that for a vegan version)
1/4 to 1/4 cup of sliced almonds, toasted
salt, pepper to taste

Cook quinoa according to directions (usually 2 cups of water per 1 cup of quinoa). While the quinoa is cooking, toast the almonds, then cut the bottom half of the stems from broccoli and chop up the rest. Heat oil in a large pan and sauté or stir-fry broccoli, until cooked, but still crisp. Add salt and pepper, stir in cooked quinoa, almonds, cheese if using and serve.

Classic Russian Sour Cabbage (Sauerkraut) Recipe

What does yogurt, cottage cheese, Kim Chee, and Sauerkraut have in common? They all are pro-biotic. For all of you out there who have depleted the levels of "good" bacteria in your body due to the use of antibiotics or poor life styles, these foods are great to restore the balance.

It's easy- although time consuming - to make Sour Cabbage at home.

You'll need:

A gallon size jar, a large dish for mixing
About 6.5-7 Lbs of cabbage (late harvest type if possible)
50-60 grams of salt - non-iodized! Gray salt is the best
You can add carrots (can be up to 1/4 of the cabbage weight),
Bay leaves, caraway seeds- optional
For a spicy kind: garlic, pepper, etc - optional


Slice the cabbage thin, leaving the center part out, grate the carrots if using, mix all the ingredients together in a large open dish or basin. Keep mixing and squeezing by hand until juices run.

When done, place in the glass jar (you can use an enameled bucket - not plastic), pack it tight. Make sure you do not fill the jar all the way to the top - the juices will need room. Cover with clean whole cabbage leaves, then cover with cheese cloth, then put a press on top (another jar filled with water will do). Place the jar onto a plate (again, since the juices may run over the top) and keep at room temperature for about 3-4 days. On the next day (or when the foam forms on the top), you'll need to puncture the cabbage all the way to the bottom in several spots with a knife or a rolling pin or a long wooden spoon handle. This is a very important step. You'll need to do it 3 times a day. Then you can move the jar to a cooler place for about 2 weeks.
Or you can keep it in the warm place and once it's done, cover with a lid and put into a fridge.

The Sauerkraut is ready when the foam is gone and the juice are gone and the top layer is slightly wilted.

The process of Sour Cabbage making requires a presence of a "good" bacteria. Sometimes a wrong bacteria gets in and the cabbage comes out slimy smelling funny. You can still use the final product, however, it will have to be rinsed first and then cooked (in soups, stir-fries, etc)

Here is a quicker version of Sauerkraut:

For 1 gallon jar of Sauerkraut:
1 head of cabbage,
3 large carrots,
2 tbSp salt
1 tbSp sugar - optional, but that's what speeds up the process
700ml of warm water

Slice and grate cabbage and carrots, mix it up. Dissolve salt and sugar in water. Pack cabbage into a jar and power the liquid over. Keep at a room temperature for 3 days, puncturing all the way through daily. After 3 days transfer to the fridge. It's done.

A Perfect Spring Soup...

Back in the days when vitamin supplements were not available and fruits and vegetables weren't dragged over the Equator, people really looked forward to spring and first vitamin packed greens: spinach, French sorrel, nettle... French sorrel is a very unique plant with quite a bit of pleasant tartness, similar to lemon. If you find it in a garden store, plant it in full sun and it will keep coming back year after year. In addition to having a pleasant taste, it promotes digestion. Sorrel is great in sauces, pies (think Rhubarb!) and salads.

If you lucky enough to find nettle growing wild ( Appalachian Trail /Broadwalk in Warwick! ) - bring some gloves along: raw nettle can sting your skin. It's not harmful, just a bit unpleasant. Nettle is not as tart as sorrel.

Light nettle and sorrel Soups are very popular in Europe. Here is one version for you. My kids call it French Egg Drop Soup... If you don't know what French sorrel or nettle is AND don't want to find out, then use organic spinach instead.



French Sorrel Spring Soup

6-8 cups of organic vegetable broth
3 medium potatoes, cut into small pieces
Large bunch of French sorrel, chopped
2 eggs, beaten

Cook potatoes in the boiling broth until done - don’t overcook. Add sorrel and then slowly add the eggs, stirring all the time. Done!
This is almost as easy as opening a can!

How to make Paneer (Indian Cheese)

Some of you have been asking for this recipe for a while. Finally I am getting to it...

Fresh Paneer is a cross between cheese and cottage cheese. It can be used by itself or in dishes. Make sure to use organic dairy ingredients. If you plan to use any sour dairy ingredient in place of the lemon juice (like yogurt, kefir, buttermilk or even sour cream), make sure that it's at the room temperature.

Paneer - Home Style Indian Cheese

10 cups of milk

5 Tbsp of lemon juice or 1.5 cup of yogurt or 2.5 cups of buttermilk

Bring milk in a boil in a very large pot. Meanwhile get a strainer ready: line it up with 2 layers of cheese cloth, place it over a large pot. When the milk starts to rise, add the lemon juice (yogurt, or buttermilk). You'll see the separation right away. Curds will separate from the clear yellowish-green liquid. Remove the pot from the heat. If the liquid is not clear, return to the heat and add more lemon juice (acid). Do not overcook or the texture will be ruined. Unfortunately, the milk that we buy in the stores is processed. Which prevents it from forming the curds. If that is the case, then before draining, leave the mix for a couple of hours, until all the curds rise up to the surface, creating a firm cheesy layer.

Now you can make the cheese:

Drain the mix into the strainer and place it under press. The longer it sits, the harder it becomes.

If you need cottage cheese consistency, simply drain and squeeze all the liquid.

You'll get about 350 grams of Paneer.

Baked Eggplant Dip or the Upside of Natural Disasters

I suspect my family members pray for various natural disasters...When that collective prayer is answered, I am forced to close the studio and come home after work or better yet - stay home altogether. That usually means a five course dinner and baked goodies. Last night, instead of fixing knees in Warrior 2 in my Iyengar class I've got to experiment with a whole baked eggplant. As the flood waters crept to my studio, the blender was going... It resulted in a tasty dip, that could also replace ketchup for your home baked fires or your veggie burger. It can served as a side dish too, which it did last night.

Backed Eggplant Dip

1 large eggplant

2-3 Tbsp of tomato paste

1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/4 tsp of coriander powder (or your favorite spice mix)

About 1 tsp of olive oil (optional)

Small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt, pepper to taste

Cut several slits on the eggplant. Place it on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 500F for 45 minutes. Let it cool, then peel the skin off. Transfer all that soft, gooey, baked goodness into a frying pan, add tomato paste and garlic and cook on medium heat until the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat, add coriander, olive oil, salt, pepper, cilantro and pulse in a food processer/blender/chopper until smooth. Cool to room temperature and enjoy!

Obstacles on the path are stepping stones to your growth...

"Be the change you want to see in the world" --- Mahatma Gandhi



How, here is something heartfelt. I am sure anyone who is on any path of self improvement and/ or spiritual development has come across this at least once.

You live your yoga, read all the great books, go to seminars, workshops, satsangs, meditate, work on yourself, control your mind and reactions, trying to cultivate positive thinking- whatever it is that you do. But... you're only human. You slip, you make mistakes, you go back to your old ways - even if it's for a split second. You're not an enlightened being- you just want to become one. Simply being a better person is already a great intention!

It all goes well until you slip. Have you noticed how those around you are quick to turn around and point out your fall?

"You read all those books and still do things like that?",

"Yoga is not really helping, huh?",

"That's a strange thing to say for a yogi!"

"I wouldn't expect that from a yoga teacher!"

etc

You know what's interesting? Those comments come from people who are not on ANY path themselves. Because the ones that are on the path know how hard it is to stay on and to keep going. Plus they are busy working on themselves, because they know that you cannot expect anyone to change in order to please you- you need to change yourself. Certain people are not on any path for various reasons. Sometimes it means that they not ready - the time just hasn't come yet. Sometimes it means that they just prefer to watch other people improve and change (and notice their falls in the process), since they believe that the World owes to them to be in a certain way, the way they expect. The latter also means that they are just not ready. No one can be blamed for that.

So, it all comes back to us - those who are on any path of self discovery. It's our responsibility to be vigilant. Even the greatest spiritual seekers where provoked and tempted (Jesus was tempted by demons in the desert, Buddha was tested by Mara). It is just a part of the process. The higher you climb the harder it may get. You will be provoked and poked again and again, until the day when none of this will have any power to affect you anymore. Until then simply take every poke as a lesson, as an opportunity to burn one more veil, and as an opportunity to grow.

Ode to Potatoes

If I have to be stuck on a proverbial deserted island, then please drop me off with a few bags of potatoes. I love them mashed and boiled, roasted and fried. Ok, I'll even admit that sometimes I zoom by a Wendy's drive through window to get French fries....

Potatoes are tasty, versatile and, according to the Gerson Therapy Diet, very healing and nutritious.

My rosemary plant moves in with me for the winter and there is nothing like fresh rosemary roasted along with potatoes! How about a yummy, cozy variation of good old roasted potatoes, which can be a perfect main course or a side dish at a family gathering? Here we go!


Roasted Rosemary Potatoes Mix

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1"-2" cubes
4-5 white or yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1"-2" cubes
1 large onion, cut in half, then sliced into 1/2 rings
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
2-3 Tbsp of unrefined sunflower oil (you can use olive oil instead)
Few springs of fresh rosemary
Salt, pepper to taste
Your favorite spices: anything from red pepper to paprika - be creative!

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes, onion, garlic, and rosemary into a roasting pan, sprinkle with oil, salt, pepper and spices if using. Mix well. Bake for... I dunno... until done... about 20 minutes, stirring at least once in the process. Enjoy!