Cilantro Chutney

My work with UCSF and our study on how yoga can improve female pelvic health is going amazingly well. But the drive is...exhausting. It's ironic that this journey to teach yoga is hell on my body. I spent most of the weekend a kind of tired, sleepy, deranged zombie mom. Thankfully my husband is extra nurturing at times like these, and even took the kids to the pool so I could catch a nap.

In anticipation of my busy week ahead, I spent most of the day in the kitchen cooking up various Indian dishes so I could make myself a little thali lunch each day. Thali is a meal made up of small portions of various dishes. I made potatoes in yogurt sauce, dal (spiced lentils), garbanzo beans with spinach and a tomato/spinach masala with paneer.

But by far the best thing I made today was this cilantro chutney. It's screamingly good and so so simple. You can use it as a salad dressing, or as a sauce for tacos or, like me, as a side to your Indian dishes.

Ingredients:
1 head of cilantro
1/2 of an onion
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 serrano chili
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
water

Heat the coconut oil in a pan and toast the seeds for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Then combine the seeds, coconut oil and the rest of the ingredients in a blender. Add water to get desired consistency. Place in a jar with a tight fitting lid and store up to 1 week.

Paneer: Homemade Indian Cheese

I have an ongoing obsession with palak paneer, which is spinach with Indian cheese. It's so good, and I have yet to make it myself yet, but I did manage to make paneer today, which was a baby step in the right direction.

I never knew how easy it is to make! And cheap: the whole batch cost me less than $4.00 to make.

FYI: you will need a cheesecloth and a fine mesh strainer!

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon of whole milk
4 tbsp lemon juice

And that's it! Seriously!

First bring your milk to boil over low, stirring occasionally and being careful not to scorch the milk.

When it begins to boil, add in your lemon juice, stirring constantly but gently, until the milk begins to seperate, like this:

Remove from heat and pour into a cheesecloth bag, over your strainer. You may have to do this in small rounds, instead of dumping the whole thing in at one time.

It will look like a crumbly sort of mound. Cover the top with cheesecloth, leave in the strainer over a pan, and place lots of heavy objects on top to flatten it out. My contraption looked like this:

Let sit for about 1.5 hours, then carefully remove from the cheesecloth. It might not be pretty, I'm working on that!

 

At this point, you can cube it up and store in the fridge for up to a week. Pan fry it and add to your favorite recipes! I added mine to a savory tomato and spinach masala.

 

 

Tofu Cutlets, Cheesy Cauliflower Mash and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

It's fall and the supermarket is packed with pumpkins and gourds and Brussels sprouts. I didn't discover Brussels sprouts until I was into adulthood, and I've never had a bad one! But my husband is convinced he doesn't like them, so when I brought home a gorgeous stalk of them, he was not impressed. But it's not the first time I've changed his mind about food, so I charged on ahead anyway.

I set the kids to task on mashing up the cauliflower and shredding and mixing in the cheese, they had a blast doing it. But it gets cold fast, so wait until the end to do it and keep it covered until ready to serve.

First, start the sprouts:

Brussels Sprouts

2 cups whole brussels sprouts, outer leaves peeled and discarded
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 and oil a cookie sheet. In a large bowl, mix the sprouts, salt and pepper and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Toss to coat. Cook for 45 minutes, or until browned and fragrant.

Then start the cauliflower:

Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1/4 cup of butter

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the cauliflower for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher, mixing in the cheddar, butter and green onion as you go. Keep covered until ready to serve.

Tofu Cutlets

1 package of extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp ranch dressing

Combine in a bowl  2 eggs and ranch dressing. In another bowl combine the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and the Italian seasoning. Heat a few spoonfulls of oil in a large skillet. Coat the tofu with the eggs wash and then coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Cook until browned on both sides.

Vegan Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

When pumpkins go on sale, I go a little crazy. You see, I can't buy just one. My head filled with the dreams of muffins, cakes, pies, enchiladas, soups, stews, curries...I just can't help but load the cart full of at least 4 or 5 sugar pumpkins. Some of it will end up in recipes right away, and some of it will end up in the freezer, but the first step is to roast the pumpkin.

 

First cut the stem off. This will allow you to slice the pumpkin in half much easier and without so much risk to life and limb. Pull the top off and set aside.

 

Then, using a large, sharp knife, cut down one side until you reach the bottom. It will probably not want to cut through the base, don't worry about that. Cut along the other side until you meet resistance.

 

 

Then, using your hands, pull the two sides apart. They should break right through that tricky bottom that wouldn't cut.

 

 

Scoop the seeds out and set aside for roasting later. (I am actually mildly allergic to pumpkin, when I touch the inside it makes my skin itchy and red, so Jordan is here to the rescue!)

 

 Place on an oiled cookie sheet, face down, and cook for 40-60 minutes, or until soft. Let cool.

  Scoop the flesh out of the pumpkin, discarding the skin. From here you can puree it to be used in your recipe of choice.

For the soup, you will need:

2 cups of cooked black beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
about 1/2 Tbsp of cumin
1 Tbsp of chili powder (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
about 3 cups of broth
half of one roasted sugar pie pumpkin

In a large stockpot, heat a few tablespoons of oil. Over medium/high heat saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add in the spices and cook, stirring, another minute or so, until fragrant.  Stir in the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine your cooked pumpkin flesh and the broth. Puree until smooth. Stir into the chili and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the spices as necessary. Serve hot.

Spaghetti Squash with Coconut Oil and Parsley

I've been hearing  a lot about coconut oil lately; its benefits for hair and skin, and for cooking. I love all things coconut (not that yucky imitation coconut flavor, but the real stuff). So I picked up a bottle this afternoon at my local market. I also picked up the first of autumn's pumpkin and squash bounty. You know it was only a matter of time before I put these two together, right?

But shortly afterwards, I was warned off of using it from my friend who used to live in Indonesia. I guess when coconut oil became a big fad, Indonesians began to cut down jungle to grow coconut trees, encroaching into Orangutan native habitat. Thankfully, I checked my bottle, and it seems mine came from the Phillipines. So dinner was on after all!

Spaghetti squash is so fun. I never get over the fact that it actually turns into little noodles when you dig into it. If I could, I would seriously consider replacing ALL of my pasta with this neat little vegetable.  Plus, the flavor of the coconut was so delicious, it really comes through as it cooks, without being sweet or overpowering.

Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash
4 tbsp coconut oil
3 cloves of galic, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Slice your spaghetti squash in half (this requires muscles and a very sharp knife!) then clean out the seeds. Place face down on a greased cookie sheet and cook at 375 for about 40 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat coconut oil, garlic and ginger in a pan until fragrant. Remove from heat.

Using a fork, scrape the squash out and watch as it magically turns into noodles!!

Place your squash noodles into a large bowl, salt and pepper to taste, and pour the coconut oil/garlic mixture on top. Stir to coat. Top with parsely.

Orecchiete with Baby Broccoli and Lemon Garlic Sauce

Orecchiete is also known as "ear shaped" pasta, though my kids call them "suction cups" because of the way they stick to the bowl (isn't that the best thing you've ever heard?? Kids are so amazing, they really see things with new eyes).

This dish is so light and fragrant, with lemon, herbs, and tender baby broccoli. We served it up with a platter of crudite (or fresh, raw vegetables) for a healthy, satisfying dinner.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
4 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 cloves of garlic, minced
zest of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch of baby broccoli, roughly chopped
1 box of Orecchiete, or other small pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and the butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Next mix in the Italian seasoning, cook 1-2 minutes. Pour in the broth, lemon zest, and broccoli. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 5 or 6 minutes, until it simmers and the flavors begin to mix.

Ladle the hot pasta into bowls and top with the broccoli and sauce. Garnish with lemon wedges and hot pepper flakes and perhaps a bit of Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

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.