Good Morning World!

Hey Ya'll!
I wanted to start off this week by showing you a recipe I love and also some fun facts about apples!

And here is your recipe for the week:

Fresh Beet Pasta!

Ingredients

• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Beets
• 1 Onion
• 1 Bunch Swiss Chard
• 3 Tablespoons Walnuts
• 8 Ounces Beet Linguine
• 1 Lemon
• ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1

Prepare your ingredients:

Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Peel and small dice the beets and onion. Roughly chop the chard leaves and thinly slice the stems. Roughly chop the walnuts.

2

Start cooking the vegetables:

In a large pan, heat some olive oil on high until hot. Add the onion, garlic, and beets. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until the beets start to soften.

3

Finish cooking the vegetables:

Stir in the chard and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook about 2 minutes longer to combine all the flavors.

4

Cook the pasta:

While the chard cooks, add the pasta to the boiling water. Boil 3 to 4 minutes or until it’s not quite fully cooked (just before it’s al dente). Reserve about ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water, and then drain the pasta.

5

Finish the pasta:

Transfer the pasta to the pan with the vegetables along with the reserved cooking water. Increase the heat to medium, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until the pasta absorbs any liquid. Stir in half of both the Parmesan and the walnuts. Squeeze the juice of the whole lemon over the pasta.

6

Plate your dish:

Divide the pasta between 2 plates. Garnish with the remaining walnuts and Parmesan. Enjoy!

Fun Food Facts and Recipes

Hey Ya'll!
Rae here!

I found a few guides that really helped me out when I was confused in the kitchen.
I love making hummus, but always found that my creativity turned off after making the same ole same ole hummus.

Here is a sweet guide to making your own at home!

If I Wish it, It may Come

Good Morning Devotion Community!

Despite the rather warm weather that will grace us this week, I have been feeling the urge to cuddle up on the coach and snuggle in for winter. Too soon? Well, that has got me thinking of all the warm and delicious foods and goodies that will bring us joy when the outside just isn't fair.

Leave the Halloween candy for the kids and get cooking (or baking).

Below are a few recipes I stumbled upon that I am eager to try out myself. And if you so happen to give these recipes a go, give me a shout out and let me know how it went!

Cheesy Cauliflower Tater Tots (Gluten Free & Low Carb)

(yields: 50) 

Ingredients

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 2 Tbl heavy cream
• 2 Tbl butter
• 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 4 egg whites
• salt & pepper to taste
• oil for frying

Instructions

• Clean and trim the cauliflower, adding the florets to a microwave safe bowl. Add the cream and butter to the bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cheese to a magic bullet or food processor and blend until still chunky – kind of like a cooked oatmeal consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for at least half an hour. Whip the egg whites to a stiff peak. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the cauliflower mixture to lighten it up. Then fold the cauliflower mixture into the rest of the egg whites and gently mix until combined. For best results, chill for another half hour or they won’t hold their shape as well. Fit a pastry bag with a round or star tube with about a 3/4 inch opening. Spray the inside of the bag with nonstick spray. Gently squeeze out 1 inch sections onto a greased cookie sheet, cutting with a butter knife as you go. When finished, bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes (or longer if you’re skipping the frying) until puffed and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve – or heat 1/4 inch of oil in a saute pan and when it’s very hot add the tots. It doesn’t need long, a minute per side to turn them golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately.

Roasted Butternut & Coconut Soup with Chévre YogurtServes 4 

This soup is topped with chèvre yogurt, which is really delicious. But if you are vegan you can of course just leave it out or replace it with a vegan alternative.

1 butternut squash or hokkaido pumpkin
1 can (1 3/4 cup / 400 ml) coconut milk1 cup (240 ml) boiling water1 sprig fresh rosemary (save 1/2 for serving)1/2 – 1 inch (1-2 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and grated2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

Chévre yogurt150 g soft chévre cheese (goat’s cheese)4 tbsp yogurt of choice

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.

Divide the butternut in half with a sharp knife and remove the seeds with a spoon. Place both halves on a baking tray, cut side down. Bake in the oven for 25-40 minutes (depending on the size of the butternut). The halves are ready when the skin is bubbly and slightly browned. Prepare the chévre yogurt by whisking the ingredients together in a small bowl. Remove the butternut from the oven, let cool for a couple of minutes. Spoon out the flesh and place in a food processor or strong blender together with the rest of the ingredients, blend on high speed until completely smooth. Add extra water, if desired. Season to taste. Return the soup to a pot to keep warm, if necessary. Serve in bowls with a dollop of chévre yogurt and some freshly ground black pepper.

Mint White Hot Chocolate

2 cups milk
2 cups half & half cream
8 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. peppermint extract
a few drops of green food coloring
marshmallows (optional)

In a heavy- bottomed pot, heat the milk and cream over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the white chocolate, remove from heat and set aside for a few minutes. Add the peppermint extract and food coloring and whisk until smooth.

Serve immediately. Serves 4.

**For a grown-up, add a splash of crème de menthe or crème de cacao and top with whipped cream or chocolate shavings.

Recipes of the Week!

Eggplant and Goat-Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce

(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 cups fresh or canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (one 28-ounce can)

1 teaspoon fresh tarragon

1- 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1 cup dry bread crumbs (I used plain Panko)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggplants, peeled and cut to make sixteen 1/2-inch-thick slices in all

4 eggs, beaten to mix

Cooking oil, for frying

1/2 pound mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet, cut into 8 rounds

DIRECTIONS

    1.    In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tarragon, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.

    2.    Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

    3.    Dip each slice of eggplant in the eggs and then in the bread-crumb mixture, coating well. In a large frying pan, heat about half an inch of cooking oil over moderate heat until very hot. Fry the eggplant in the hot oil, in batches, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

    4.    Arrange half of the eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Put a slice of goat cheese on top of each and then top with the remaining eggplant slices. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Put the sauce on plates and top with the eggplant.

   

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

What you need:

1. Asparagus

2. Prosciutto

3. Olive Oil*

This recipe is incredibly easy to make and will satisfy and fill you!

After cleaning and cutting the ends of the asparagus, make sure they are dry and on a clean and dry plate or surface area.

Lay out the prosciutto and begin wrapping the asparagus. Make sure the prosciutto is sliced very thin and you don’t over wrap each spear.

After wrapping each spear, use your hands to squeeze the proscuitto onto the asparagus so it sticks. This helps when you cook them, so the prosciutto doesn’t unravel.

Get your pan out and, with your judgement, drop some oil onto the pan and begin frying.

You’ll know when the asparagus are done when the prosciutto is crispy, but if you are unsure just take one spear and cut into the middle to make sure the asparagus is cooked perfectly. Not too mushy, not too crunchy.

And Enjoy!

* = you can use other substitutes, such as, grapeseed oil or avocado oil.

Clean Eating Freedom Brownies

These are gluten-free, dairy-free AND grain-free!

(Makes 15 servings)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup coconut oil

5 whole eggs

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, no sugar added

Directions:

1.     In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut flour and cocoa powder.

2.     Whisk in the coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend well.

3.     Pour batter into a greased baking dish (mine was about 9×13), and bake at 350 F. for about 30 minutes.

4.     Allow to cool. This is important because they tend to fall apart easily when warm, making it difficult to get them out of the pan.

Namaste Devotion Community!

I want to take this time to introduce myself to everyone. My name is Rae and I will be writing one blog entry a week and will be posted every Tuesday (hopefully!). This blog will showcase three recipes that I have either tried, wanted to try, or find interesting!

Because I’m a foodie and a dessert lady at heart, I wanted to make sure I showcase, one meatless recipe, one meat recipe, and one dessert recipe. I am a student in the kitchen and am constantly learning and growing on how to make healthier and wiser decisions for myself. I will also be showcasing a variety of food and nutritional topics.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and information I post and if you have a recipe (with photos and directions) that you want to share with the community feel free to email me at: rae@devotionyoga.com

This is a community and sharing allows us to grow and expand our current state of mind and our knowledge. So let’s share and I hope this can grow to be something big and beautiful.

Your Friend,

Rae 

Why I Dance by Sarah Anfora

As many little girls do, I started putting on a pink tutu and ballet slippers at a very young age.  As I grew older and many of my friends starting drifting from dance, I kept adding more classes to my schedule.  I grew up at the dance studio in my town; eventually becoming a teaching assistant when I was a young teen.  I got to a point when I realized that I wasn't getting any taller than 5'1'' and thought there was no future in dance for me, so I should just really focus on my piano-playing skills.

During my years in college, I always wanted to continue to take dance classes, but there was nowhere for my age group.  So, I continued to dance in my room, hallway, down the street, on the PATH train.  Something in me is always moving whenever a song plays.

Once I entered graduate school at The Actors Studio Drama School, I was introduced to this thing called "free form movement."  Huh?  Combing many movement modalities, we would spend an hour just exploring how movements in our shoulders could inform the rest of our body.  We would see how a certain song would influence the movement in our knees.  This experience brought joy back into my life; it brought dancing back into my daily routine.

On my first visit to Kripalu in MA, I looked on the schedule and saw a "yoga dance" at noon.  Much to my surprise it was just like the work I had been doing in my graduate program.  It was a place that I felt safe expressing myself and moving my body in any way that felt right - no matter what it looked like.

My body needs to move in an uninhibited way.  My yoga practice grounds me, but my dancing invigorates me by working through an blocked emotions that are stuck inside of me.  So often I hear people say, "I don't know how to dance."  What!?  Everybody can dance!  It is just that we have an idea in my head about what the dancing needs to look like.  Dancing has helped me deal with a few fears, such as the idea that everyone in the world is looking at me and judging; as I've gotten older I have realized that nobody is actually looking at me.

I invite you to come dance with me at Devotion Yoga.  We join together on Wednesdays at 5:30 for a time to unleash our inner movers and free our souls!

Sarah Anfora teachers:
Wednesday - Flow 1 - 9:30am
Wednesday - Journey Dance - 5:30pm
Friday - Kripalu Yoga - 12:30pm
Sunday - Bhakti Basic - 10:00am

"Find Your Calling" by Kim Larkin

Read this book: 

The Great Work of Your Life:  A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling

by Stephen Cope

This book will deepen your understanding of one of our important yogic texts, The Bhagavad Gita.  The author, Stephen Cope, uses examples of extraordinary real life figures such as Jane Goodall, Henry David Thoreau, Ludwig van Beethoven and Mohandas K. Gandhi to illustrate what it means to LIVE FULLY. 

The Bhagavad Gita is a text that should probably be studied throughout our lives, examined in bits and pieces to really arrive at a deep understanding.  I feel like I am only beginning to appreciate the profound teachings within its pages.  That is one of the reasons why yoga is a lifelong practice…to study and absorb and question and look again and again at the many teachings through the lens of wisdom gained from our years of living.  The Great Work of Your Life is a fascinating and enjoyable introduction to the Gita that may entice you to further explore its many teachings.

On the most basic level, the Bhagavad Gita is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna.  As a warrior, Arjuna is struggling with whether or not to go into battle.  Krishna counsels him by saying, “Arjuna, you do not know how to act because you don’t know who you are.”

I have been pondering this line for weeks (months?) because it speaks to the very heart of our yoga practice.  We are trying to discover who we are so that we can better move through the world, make better decisions, be better citizens/friends/lovers, do less harm and more good.  Lao Tzu wrote:

There is no need to run outside for better seeing

Nor to peer from a window.

Rather abide at the center of your being;

For the more you leave it,

The less you learn.

Search your heart

And see

The way to do

Is to be.

In other words, all we need to figure out our place in the world is already inside of us.  Of course, we need other things to be and survive in the world, but we have so many answers already percolating within us, if we would only take the time to look and listen.  I have been trying.  It’s not easy.

So, if you’re reading this, you have homework:  Who are you?  Does your work align with your values?  Do you feel, in your gut, that you are doing what you should be doing with your life? 

Not easy questions to consider.  If they are easy for you, congratulations, you’re on the right path.  If they’re not easy for you, that is ok.  Perhaps by sitting with the questions and looking within yourself, you may find some answers that will help illuminate your path.  Maybe your yoga practice can help.

Good luck!

When to find Kim Larking at Devotion Yoga:

Tuesdays: Open Flow - 9:30am - 10-:45am

Wednesdays: Bhakti Basic - 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Thursdays: Open Flow - 9:30am - 10:45am