A Taste of India

 Projecting dreams of future travels...

New Series: Yogi Lunch #1

As I mentioned, I've started my yoga teacher training. Of course, one of the first questions that came to mind during our Friday night orientation is what am I going to eat for lunch during our 9 hour training days? As the intern, one of my duties is to arrive at 8:30 am (yikes!) to open the studio before everyone else arrive for the Saturday and Sunday intensive training days. We begin with 3 hours of asana (or physical) practice each day, then break for lunch and then have a couple of hours of seminar (this week we covered the lifestyle of a yogi with an introduction to Ayurveda and developing a home practice) and finally end with more asana practice. As much as  I love breakfast, I can't really stomach any food that close to waking and definitely prefer practicing yoga on an empty stomach. That means breakfast on training days will consist of warm water with lemon and perhaps a spoonful of bee pollen or a piece of fruit if I feel I need a little something. That means lunch needs to be my main fuel-up for the day. It is actually preferable to make lunch your biggest meal of the day, as that is when digestion is strongest. I began to brainstorm some credentials for my new mid-day meal:
-transportable
-cooked, yet enjoyable at room-temperature
-healthy (duh)
-delicious (duh)
-filling enough to satisfy me until dinner at least 6 hours later, yet easily digested so I can comfortably do yoga a few hours after consumption
-uses seasonal ingredients 
-simple enough to prep the night before

Here is what lunch looked like my first weekend of training::

Saturday: 1/2 cup brown rice, home-make ruby sauerkraut and hijiki-brocoli stir fry with chickpeas and sesame seeds

This was a lot of food for me! I forgot how doing lots of yoga can make you loose your appetite initially. I managed to scarf most of it down though because I woke up at 7am, rode my bike to the studio and then did 3 hours of intense asana practice on an empty stomach and knew my body needed it. I was happy I had this to refuel with, but during our break between seminars I wish a had brought a little snack or something. I tried to buy and orange from this fruit store near by, but it looked kind of shady, so I passed and waited until dinner. 

Sunday: Steamed sweet potato with dulse seaweed and sesame seeds, lightly steamed kale and two apples and tea for snacks.

This lunch was perfectly simple, a good combo of carbs and protein with greens to rejuvenate. Tea bags are also key- we have a hot water dispenser at the studio so it was nice to have something warm to sip on when sitting still during the seminars. 

Stay tuned for more yogi lunches!

P.S. These are great lunches not only if you are rolling around on a mat for hours, but if you need something that fits in a bag to bring to class/ the office/ out on appointments with you. Hope they inspire some creative mid-day munching!

Winter Slaw with Creamy Tahini Dressing

This winter slaw recipe has been the perfect way to include some raw veggies amongst the many cooked versions I've been enjoying this winter. Its super quick to toss together, can be adapted to whatever vegetables are left over in your fridge and is refreshing yet hearty due to the creamy dressing. 

I love using a big box cheese grater to grate all the veggies- so quick and ensures everything is a consistent size. I grated up (counter clockwise)::

one large beet

one carrot

1/2 of a daikon radish

1/4 purple cabbage

chopped kale

The dressing consisted of::

2T tahini 

1t miso

1t mustard

4T balsamic vinegar

1/2t cumin

1t maple syrup (optional)

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

1/4 – 1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste) 

Tossed everything together in a big salad bowl and let sit for about 20 minutes for the veggies to soften and flavors to meld together. This salad can be enjoyed immediately or refrigerated for 2 days. 

Kale Massacre Salad

I call this bad boy the Kale Massacre Salad because a) there is NO WAY you will not massacre this thing when you make it and b) when you finishing beasting on it, your plate (or in my case, Tupperware that I brought it in to work) will look like some one went on a kale killing spree, with green blood and guts and all. Mmmm. Well, now that I got you hungry, here's the recipe:

So much green goodness!

3-4 kale leaves (depending on the size of the kale and the size of the salad you want to make) pulled off the stem and ripped into little bite-sized pieces

1 hand full of parley, torn into smaller pieces

1 hand full of fresh dill, torn

2t apple cider vinegar

*I let this mix of greens and herbs sit in a container in my fridge overnight to help break it down so its easier to digest. you could also combine all of the ingredients at once, but I like to let the herbs really mix in with my greens

In the am, I added...

juice of 1/2 a lemon (the leftover half from my lemon water!)

1/2 avocado (I scoop out all the meat and then use my hands to really coat all the leaves)

1-2 T nutritional yeast

1/2 Tground flaw seed

1/2 t spiralina

a handful of raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sprouts (I used a mix of lentil sprouts and pea shoots)

salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste (I like a lot of cayenne in this one :)

1/2 piece nori seaweed, cut into thin strips

dulse seaweed* (I impulsively picked up this kind on my way to work and added it in at the last minute...ohmygod so good! I'm afraid I may have munched a little bit too hard on it as an afternoon snack, not because there is any lack of health benefits, but it is a bit pricey. I'm thinking of ordering it in bulk from the same company I purchased from today because I'm already hooked! It has an amazing salty, smokey, (dare I say) meaty flavor. I think it would be amazing on an avocado sandwich, in miso soup or a veggie stir-fry with mushrooms! Woah slow down!)

destroyed.

Guess who's back (back, back, back)...

Helloooo...I don't know if anyone is even still reading this thing (or if they were in the first place) but after taking a 5 month hiatus...I'M BACK! And for good this time, with the promise of more frequent and varying posts, but only under one condition...part of the reason why I lost my ambition to keep this blog going (aside from moving 4 times and overwhelming myself with school, work, internships, friends, family etc…) was because I really didn't think it was reaching anyone. And while I do love having a place to archive all my findings and yum adventures, my main motivation is to share my wealth of knowledge with others. This is because I can say that the hands-down best resource for me when transitioning into a vegan and more environmentally responsible lifestyle has been through the internet. As a student, both in college and the world, I feel that I owe every thing I know to the amazing individuals and communities of people who have been gracious enough to share their findings with me. I haven’t really done too much in the form of marketing my blog, but I could really use your help to feel like my voice is being heard. I think with the encouragement of others, the energy to continue to collect information and start many interesting discourses will only come naturally. So, in exchange for your support, today I would like to share one of my favorite recipes of all time.

Trail of Kale Salad::

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale (or 2 small bunches)

pinch of sea salt

1 lemon

1 avocado

¼- ½ red onion, sliced thin

sesame seeds

optional:

¼c arame seaweed, placed in a bowl of warm water and left to rehydrate

dulce/ seaweed flakes. I use this mix.

Click image to enlarge

Wash the kale leaves rip into bite-size pieces. In a large container, massage the leave with the salt and allow it to sit out and soften for about ten minute. The longer you massage, the more enzymes in the kale break down and the softer it becomes. Return to the bowl and squeeze the juice of a lemon over the leaves and massage. Slice open an avocado, remove the pit and slice into pieces before dumping it on top of the kale and, you guessed it…massage it into the leaves. Add in the sliced red onion, hydrated arame and top with sesames seeds and seaweed flakes. This is the type of dish that tastes better the longer you let it sit in the refrigerator. So good I could literally eat the whole bunch!

What have been your most useful vegan resources?

Stay tuned for more! And tell your friends;)

THE macroBIOTIC WOMAN

"let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food"

-Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, 460-377 BC

Around the same time I became vegan (october 2009) I also began looking into macrobiotics.

this article describes the basis of macrobiotics from which i've also excerpted below:

What is Macrobiotics?

The macrobiotic approach is based on the view that we are the result of and are continually influenced by our total environment, which ranges from the foods we eat and our daily social interactions to the climate and geography in which we live.

In considering all factors that influence our lives, the macrobiotic approach to health and healing views sickness as the natural attempt of the body to return to a more harmonious and dynamic state with the natural environment. As what we choose to eat and drink and how we live our lives are primary environmental factors that influence our health and create who we are, the macrobiotic approach emphasizes the importance of proper dietary and lifestyle habits. The macrobiotic diet is centered around whole grains and supplemented with other foodstuffs such as vegetables and beans, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods and requiring that food be chewed thoroughly before swallowing.

Where does Macrobiotics come from?

The macrobiotic approach is based on principles, theories and practices that have been known to philosophers, scholars, and physicians throughout history. The term "macrobiotics" comes from Greek ("macro" meaning "large" or "long", and "bios" meaning "life") and was first coined by Hippocrates, the father of western medicine. The most recent development stems from Michio Kushi who was inspired by philosopher-writer George Ohsawa.

some good resources:

-http://www.macrobioticcooking.com/

-hip chick's guide to macrobiotics by jessica porter- i also suggest you buy the book, this lady is super funny and relatable

-"modern-day macrobiotics" by simon g. brown- really breaks down all the key concepts and makes it all easy to digest (pun intended)

-"the kind diet" by alicia silverstone-if you haven't already figured out i am obsessed with this woman. she is amazing and her book is half information about health and veganism and the second half is all the best recipes. all in one place! i reference this book ALL the time. so go buy it! also

nowwww for some macro-vegan food porn:

macro-perfection! steamed kale and quinoa

oh, just some veggies chillin' in the steamer

carrot and burdock kinpira (page 272 of The Kind Diet)

brown rice, edamame and hijiki seaweed salad in my silly confetti bowl

gingered green beans with hijiki (page 259 of The Kind Diet)

alicia's magical healing soup (page 251 of The Kind Diet)

now i'm not sayin' that i'm anywhere near being perfectly macro. although, i wish i could say i live solely off of steamed vegetables, beans, seaweeds and brown rice chewed 50 times per bite. but in reality i'm busy and don't always have the time to cook, or even remember to chew when life gets really hectic. plus i love snacks! and vegan treats, and i don't think it helped that i had class on the same block as stogo last semester...but it's all a process right? i try to eat macro most of the time and love the benefits i get from doing so. it has made obvious to me the connection between what we eat and how we feel. when i eat sugar or caffein (yup, im talking to you licorice wheels and soy chai latte's!!) my anxiety goes haywire, i can't concentrate and feel unmotivated and sluggish. when i start my day with a warm bowl of brown rice and some steamed kale, i feel centered, happy and energetic. some other added bonuses i've noticed from eating macro:

-more sensitive taste buds. since seasonings are minimal you really begin to actually TASTE every subtle flavor

-it's surprisingly cheaper (if you buy grains and beans in bulk, produce seasonally and avoid packaged, processed food)

-help the environment-check back for a nice, juicy post on this to come! (TKD page 22)

-help the animals (do i need to say that killing is a pretty big deal, and by choosing NOT to consume animals, also choose NOT to support the totally inhumane meat production industry)

-help yourself!! duhh! this should really be first on the list. i'm slowly starting to realize more and more that you can't help anyone (human or not) unless you help yourself first. if you fell like shit, how can you accomplish anything in this world? plus, when you don't get sick as much (because you are feeding your body actual nutrients, NOT junk pumped unpronounceable fillers!) you have so much more time to do the things you love, with the people you love (because you don't have to worry about being all contagious and sneezey and gross :)

garlic (e)scapes

White Russian Kale, Redleaf Lettuce and Garlic Scapes

yesterday i went to the farmer's market to pick up some green things for the next few days. when i went to pay for my green leaf lettuce and russian kale this adorable farmer started asking me about how i was planning on preparing my kale. i told him i was planning on using part of it for a raw salad and would probably sate the rest. he got really excited and asked me if i had ever tried garlic scapes i said that although i had read some some pretty dope things about them, i had not yet tried them myself. after taking the time to walk me through the whole technique and ripping off the stem of some plant whose name i forgot and shoving the lemony deliciousness into my mouth, he told me i could take three garlic scapes (which pretty much look like scallions on crack) on my way out because he liked me. i love being a girl :)

when i got home i busied myself making THE PERFECT VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES to bring to father's day dinner with my fam. obvi had to taste test the cookies at all stages of the process and ended up eating about a million so that was my lunch. eww. dinner was at a new stake house on the upper west side where i enjoyed a salad made with white cabbage and shaved brussels sprouts with an avocado-y dressing, some veggie soup and grilled asparagus and kale. everyone seemed to really like the cookies. you could still taste the banana, but it was way subtle. my seven year-old sister took one bite and put her cookie down. i guess she is the real cookie expert.

"Freedom Cookies"- making vegan cookies more appealing to predominantly carnivorous family. bleh marketing

i couldn't stop thinking about the garlic scapes though. i woke up today craving kale sated with garlic scapes. so i made them.

i first ripped the kale leaves off the stems just like my farmer friend instructed me to.

Stems N' Leaves

next i diced up the stems of the kale and the garlic scapes and sated them in some olive oil for about five minutes. i then sliced up the kale leaves and washed them but did not dry them so that they retained some water to help them steam up a bit when i added them to the pan. after about two minutes or so i dumped the whole thing into a big bowl and dug in!

nommnommnommmm

not so long after i decided to whip up one of my favorite go-to meals:

what is that plate?

BROWN RICE VEGGIE SUSHI using the leftover kale in one of the rolls along with some sliced carrots, daikon radish, cucumber and avocado(so key!) the other roll had the same raw veggies but featured my HIJIKI SALAD:

2 handfuls of dried hijiki seaweed

hot water to cover

~1 tbsn tamari soy sauce (you could use shoyu but this i what i had in the house)

~1 tsp agave

juice from 1 inch piece of grated ginger

1 splash ume vinegar (i think you could sub apple cider vinegar or another type or probably omit this as im not sure if it actually does anything)

1/2 cup boiled edamame (optional)

finished off this drawn-out, dream-of-a-meal with a perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie and some green tea. mmmhmm lazy monday :)