Vietnamese Style Noodle Stir Fry

What an eventful week this was. First, I had my initial meeting with the University of San Francisco on the study I'm involved in, testing how yoga can improve female pelvic health. It's really exciting to be a part of this work and I am so grateful that my mentor Leslie Howard has brought me in to teach the study group. But driving from Monterey to San Francisco is a 2+ hour drive, (each way!)enough time to get bored with both NPR and music.  I'm thinking I need to invest in some books on tape. Got any good ideas?

Second this week, my eldest son got his report card and not liking what he saw, he threw it in the garbage. I am so disappointed. Not especially with the grades, but with his behavior. So we're spending a lot of time talking about satya and the way that being honest creates better relationships and better lives. It can be difficult to face the truth, but it is always a better choice than lying. I have seen this to be true in my own life, through all kinds of situations, and honestly believe that it is always worse when you lie.

 Part of the hard part as a parent (or a spouse, etc) is that you have to create a kind of trust when it comes to truth, an expectation that though you might be disappointed, the value in being told the truth is enough that you will be a reasonable person upon hearing it. Does that make sense? So I always tell my kids what my mama told me, "if you tell the truth, it might be bad. But if you get caught lying (and you will, eventually, be caught) it is going to be much, much worse."

Lastly this week, and most exciting, my husband finally broke ground in the backyard and started the long task of building my own little yoga shala. I am so, so, SO over-the-moon excited! A nice little place for myself, maybe some private lessons, which will double as a guest house for the many yogis and midwives that we have stay with us. (We seem to attract wandering vagabonds and adventure seekers, and love it).

This week's most popular dinner was Vietnamese style noodle stir fry. I don't actually know if this would be considered "Vietnamese" but it was the best approximation of a dish I order at our local Vietnamese restaurant.

I don't usually "shop" for stir fry ingredients,  opting instead for what's on hand, but I did go searching for some good noodles for this dish. I ended up choosing Chuka Soba noodles, and they were a big, big hit with the family.

Ingredients:
1 package Chuka Soba noodles
1 package of extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 each red and orange bell pepper, chopped
Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
lime juice
5 tbsp unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup sugar snap peas
1 cup of napa cabbage, chopped roughly

Heat oil in a large wok and saute the tofu until browned. Add in the garlic and the ginger. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add in the bell pepper and peas. Cook another few minutes, until the bell pepper is just beginning to soften. Add in the soy sauce, lime juice and peanuts. Stir and cook until combined..

To cook the noodles, you simply boil them for three minutes then drain.

Serve the stir fry over the noodles, top with fresh napa cabbage and extra lime wedges for garnish.

Cabbage and Cucumber Salad with Tahini Sauce

In the early morning hours, when I'm stealthily getting ready for class while the rest of my family is still sleeping, I enjoy the quietness of the house. In a large family, someone is always talking or needing attention, and these small moments of being alone are like a sanctuary for me.

I just started reading Planet Walker, a book about a man who didn't speak or ride in cars, in an effort to bring around awareness of environmental issues, for the better part of 2 decades. He stopped talking, he recalls later, because he needed to do more listening.

It's funny how much we, as a species, communicate verbally without being clear and without really listening to each other. This is what I'm thinking about today as I head out to teach my morning class.


On another note, this recipe is from last night's dinner. Crispy and fresh, with the sweetness of the cabbage and the tanginess of the tahini, perfect for summer. I have been using this tahini sauce a lot lately, and you're going to see it used in a few more recipes over the next week or so. So make a big batch and stick it in the fridge, it pairs well with sandwiches, salads and beans.

Ingredients:

1/2 of a head of green cabbage, chopped

2 cucumbers, sliced

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

dried dill, for garnish

Tahini Sauce:

equal parts tahini and water

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Combine the tahini, water, lemon, salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl and whisk together. Adjust water as necessary.

Layer the cabbage and the cucumbers and top with cherry tomatoes. Drizzle the tahini sauce on top and sprinkle with dried dill.

Sweet Purple Slaw

Some years ago we were living in a small town in central California. My husband had gotten his first job as a firefighter there and I had just begun teaching yoga to a very rural, very conservative population. I was, in fact, the first yoga teacher to ever teach there.

It was challenging in so many ways,  but also a time when my eldest kids started school, the first time we really felt like grown ups and truly a time of fun and growth.

At some point during a hot,hot summer there (so very different than Monterey, where we now live, perpetually blanketed by fog) I pulled out a purple cabbage and mixed it with sweet, instead of savory fixin's.  It's been a popular family favorite ever since.

Ingredients:

1 small head of purple cabbage, shredded or chopped

1 large container of vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup chopped dried apples (or any other dried fruit)

1/2 cup dried coconut

honey, to taste

Mix it all up in a bowl and serve immediately.