Yoga & Pilates Retreat Recipes

I just got back from my most recent stint of work with Azul Yoga & Pilates at their southern California location. I'm so inspired by the healing power of real food, and by it's ability to fuel our most exciting adventures.

In between sunset deck yoga sessions and pool lounging, I'll often be found in the kitchen, preparing daily brunch and dinners for retreat guests. With as many people who walk through the doors of any Azul retreat, all have particular eating habits, allergies and preferences. In their week with us, they are invited to eat a whole-foods, plant-based vegetarian diet; a mixture of recipes from resident chef, Jo Dombernowski, in Fuerteventura, and myself.

Top deck view at sunset from Vista Villa Azul, November 2014

Every so often, a week in the kitchen will be challenged by further dietary needs and allergies; this past week, that meant eliminating gluten and dairy, in addition to being a vegetarian plant-based retreat. Everything is made from scratch, with care, and with a focus on sustainable organic sourcing.

I know heaps of vegetarians that rely on dairy to get protein, myself included. I love a great cheese, and regularly eat whole milk yogurt. I love creaminess in recipes, yet try not to consume too much dairy, as it is an inflammatory for our bodies. This week, I turned to alternate sources for flavor and texture. A cashew cream frosting for carrot cake, a toasted nut base for pesto. After eating like this for a week, I felt on top of the world. That's the healing power of whole foods. The sand and surf didn't hurt either.

I want to share this delectable world of whole foods with you, so in the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting what I call a Retreat Recipes Special Collection. These are recipes of my own creation or adaptation. If you're interested in more recipes like this, you can check out Jo's cookbook, straight from the kitchen of Azul in Fuerteventura.

To kick off this foodie fest, I have a spectacular veggie pizza for you. This is veg from top to bottom. A crust of roasted butternut squash and almond meal, topped with a vegan pesto, red onion, zucchini, kalamata olives, and arugula. This is seriously the bomb. It was raved about over the table last week and was dubbed 'the best pizza I've ever had in my life' by one of our guests!

 Incredible Vegetable Pizza serves 4-6 Adapted from Wholehearted Eats

 pesto, kalamata, zucchini, arugula

Crust

• 1 butternut squash (2-3 cups squash puree)
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Pesto

• 1 large bunch basil (1 cup loosely packed)
• 1 cup spinach, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice 
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt to taste

Toppings

• 1 zucchini
• 1 small red onion
• 3/4 cup kalamata olives
• 2 handfuls arugula

method

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Halve butternut squash and place cut side down in a baking dish filled halfway with water. Bake for 35-40 min until skin can be easily pierced by a fork. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, make pesto by combining all pesto ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth, add sea salt to taste. Set aside.

Once squash has cooled, scoop out flesh into a large mixing bowl. Add remaining crust ingredients. and mix until smooth. Depending how much squash you ended up with, you may need to add more flour to create a thicker dough. You want it to be soft, but able to form a loose ball.

Use your hands to press the dough into lined baking tray, creating a little lip at the edges. What's great about this dough is that you can pick it up and eat it like any other pizza. None of that crumbly cauliflower crap here!

Bake the crust for 30-35 min until it's golden brown. Remove from over, let cool slightly. Spread on pesto, and all of your toppings. note: I like to toss my zucchini and onion in a little olive oil so that they crisp up nicely in the oven. Keep arugula on the side for now. Bake pizza for another 15-20 min until vegetables begin to caramelize. Remove from oven, let cool for 5-7 minutes, then top with arugula.

  
enjoy!

Pistachio Herb Falafel

Falafel and I have had a longtime love affair. It's always been a classic festival favorite. You know, when you're enjoying a beautiful day, you need something quick, easy, and filling that wont weigh you down. Falafel is like my ideal meal. Tons of fresh herbs, vegetarian protein, creamy tzatziki if you're feeling frisky. You just can't go wrong. This is a great one that comes to you adapted from Green Kitchen Stories cookbook, Vegetarian Everyday.

I love this with whole wheat pita, plus some more fresh mint and dill, and my Quinoa Tabbouleh.

Pistachio Herb Falafel makes about 20 

parsley, mint, pistachio

• 12 sprigs mint
• 12 sprigs parsley + cilantro (a mixture of the two, or whatever you have)
• 1.5-2 cups shelled pistachios
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 small yellow onion
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, pulse mint, parsley and cilantro. Add the pistachios and pulse again until the mixture is coarse. Add the chickpeas, garlic, onion, olive oil, cumin, flour and baking soda. Process until you have a uniform texture that's still a bit rough.

With clean hands, form falafel into small balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until browned.

Enjoy in pita, on a green salad with pickled vegetables, or alongside quinoa tabbouleh (linked above!)

Chicken Basil Meatballs + My Take On Protein

One of my favorite foods, by far, are these chicken basil meatballs. I made them for the first time last year when I was a team captain for Studio Z's 21 Day Fitness Challenge. The Challenge diet consisted of 5 daily meals, each with a palm of protein+2 fistfuls of vegetables+1 thumb of unsaturated fat. I put together a collection of recipes for our team. This gem is one of my favorites from that collection. 

As you can probably tell by this blog, I'm not a huge carnivore. This is for a number of reasons, one being that great quality meat- the kind that's not pumped full of antibiotics, growth hormones, and cage-raised, is expensive. I'm also not a huge fan of cooking and handling meat. I would much rather pick through lentils and peel vegetables.

Protein: Our Culture of Excess

When I was coaching the 21 Day Challenge at Studio Z and partaking in this diet, I felt heavy in my digestion. We need a lot less protein than many people think, in fact our bodies can only assimilate about 8-10 grams of protein per hour. Most meals work their way through your system in 2-3 hours, so what happens to that excess protein? It gets excreted by the body or stored as fat.

We have such a culture of believing more is more.

I disagree here.

I look at body builders at the gym and I think, is this sustainable health? The amount of food that you have to take in simply to sustain that mass is outrageous. I would much rather, eat within my means, get all of my essential nutrients from a variety of plant based foods, and well-sourced lean meats.

So how do you know you're meat is coming from a quality source?

There are a few resources you can look into. I would first check out your local farms, butchers, etc. The great thing about going to the source is that they know exactly how their animals were raised. Ask your local meat processor. Even if they don't have a direct source of locally produced organic meats, chances are they know someone who does.

Consider talking to your local co op or green grocer. Someone from the meat department is bound to have the inside scoop about the best quality local meats.

My favorite way to enjoy these meatballs is over spaghetti squash with hearty marinara. In a pinch, I've also enjoyed them with some simple steamed broccoli- which was more of a 21-Day Challenge meal ;) However you choose to serve these, they impress every time. I have had great success taking them to potlucks- especially with this whole Paleo craze happening. People love that these are made with almond flour, and no breadcrumbs. Paleo and gluten-free. You'll be able to feed a number of people, no matter their dietary preferences!

Chicken Basil Meatballs serves 3-4

almond meal, basil, garlic

• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1.5 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil
• 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano 
• 1 shallot, minced (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 14oz ground chicken

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine egg and almond meal, stir until fully incorporated. Add parsley, basil, oregano, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper, mix well. Use clean hands to gently mix in ground chicken.
3. Using wet hands, roll meatballs, about 3 Tbsp in size, onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, remove and let cool. If adding to a sauce, transfer meatballs right into simmering sauce.

The Best Chili Of Your Life

Alright. Here's the thing, most weeks I have a day set aside for meal prep. I get the bulk of prep done in that one day so that evening meals are executed like cake- I'm in and out of the kitchen in 20 minutes! This Monday, I set out to prepare our week's worth of meals, and only got one thing done. This chili:

I had the best intentions of making dessert, prep for the rest of the week, and even cleaning the house! All of this was on my list, and I didn't quite hit the mark on completion. But I'm here to declare this chili was absolutely worth it!

I'm not one to dive into lengthy recipes on a regular basis, so be warned. However, this recipe makes enough to feed a village and freezes well. Not to mention, can you imagine anything better on a cold winter day?! (No, you can't.)

This recipe has been closely adapted from Brown Eyed Baker. I knew by the picture on her blog that this was going to be the best chili of my life. LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT IT!

You start by making a homemade chili paste out of dried chilis. YESSS. I don't think I've ever been serious enough about chili to make my own chili paste- "can't I just use a great chili powder and crushed tomatoes??" NO. I promise you, you will never go back.

Moving on.

Dried chili paste made, you move on the blitzing onion and jalapeno in a food processor to the consistency of chunky salsa, which is then cooked until the water evaporates. This all creates a truly magnificent full-bodied texture.

There's also meat in this chili, steak actually. Though not a huge meat eater, it was perfect in this dish. It gets browned, and then has ample time to stew, so it literally melts in your mouth.

I mentioned stewing. The chili is started in a Dutch oven on the stove, then finished in the oven. From top to bottom, this chili took me 3 hours to cook, and I was at yoga for 1.5 of those hours while the chili stewed. Seriously, that's only 90 minutes of work.

Let's get to it!

Best Chili: Chili Negro  serves 6-8

chile de negro, cornmeal, cocoa

• 1/2 cup dried pinto beans
• 1/2 cup dried kidney beans
• 4-6 dried chili de negro or ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed, flesh torn*  (found in specialty grocery stores. I found mine in the Spanish food aisle of Haggen)
• 2 dried arbol chiles, stems and seeds removed, flesh torn*
• 3 Tbsp cornmeal
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp  ground cumin
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 medium onions, chopped roughly
• 2 jalapeno peppers, stems and seeds removed, chopped roughly
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp molasses
• 1 lb blade steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Sea salt

Method

1. Place dried beans, with enough salted water to cover, in a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover, remove from heat and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F, adjust rack to middle.
2. Place chiles in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Stir the chiles frequently until the flesh becomes fragrant, careful not to burn them (4-6 minutes). Transfer to the bowl of your food processor.
3. Add cornmeal, oregano, cumin, cocoa, and 1/2 tsp salt to the food processor. Blitz until finely ground. With the food processor running, slowly add in 1/2 cup chicken broth. A smooth paste will begin to form. Scrape down the food processor walls as necessary. Transfer paste to a small bowl. Don't wash out the food processor.
4. Place onion and jalapeno into food processor bowl and pule until you get the consistency of chunky salsa.
5. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion mixture and cook, stirring as needed, until the water from the mixture has evaporated and vegetables are soft (7-9 minutes). Add garlic, and cook until fragrant. Add chili paste, tomatoes, molasses, and stir until chili paste in fully combined. Add remaining chicken broth, and drained beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
6. While simmering, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in the same medium skillet, over medium high heat. Pat the steak dry with a paper towel and generously salt. Add the beef to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides (10 minutes). Transfer beef to the Dutch oven, stir to combine and return to a simmer. 
7. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven to cook until beans are fully tender (about 1.5 hours). Let the chili rest, uncovered, then season with salt. 

NOTE: *when handling hot chiles, wear gloves. Capscium is the oil in chiles responsible for spice. It doesn't wash off with water alone, and even some soaps wont fully remove it from skin.

Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich

It's been an eventful few weeks, settling into beautiful Bellingham.

Riding along the waterfront on the South Bay Trail

Flights and foodies at Bellingham's newest favorite brewery, Aslan.

Stop, drop, and asana. Dhanurasana on a wheel.

I've also had a lot of quality time in the kitchen. Getting strategic with my budget means meal planning. I have some wonderful friends who have been at this whole meal planning thing for some time, that like to impart their knowledge. My mother likes to impart her knowledge of how to stretch a budget. So between the two, I'm making leaps and bounds both with my creativity in the kitchen and in managing my check book.

This recipe was born after having leftover roasted chicken. I had cooked up some polenta, with sauteed mushrooms, I topped with a fried egg and wedge of cream brie.

The next day, I channeled my mom (I can picture her in the kitchen tearing into the remains of a roasted chicken now!) and got down and dirty, tearing all of the meat away, to make this delicious Tarragon Chicken Salad.

Much like, a traditional chicken salad, but with a twist, and cleaned up a little bit. I used a creamy full fat Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise. Fennel takes the place of celery for a crunch, and tarragon for a uniquely fresh taste. I served the sandwiches on toasted Breadfarm bread, with gouda cheese and thinly sliced green apple.

I stuffed this chicken salad into romaine lettuce leaves the next day for lunch. Three meals knocked out of the park this week! BOOM!

I hope you enjoy this alternative salad as much as I did! I love a good new school take on an old school classic. Happy summer days, friends. Soak up this sunshine!

Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches serves 4

fennel, green apple, gouda

•  2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/3 cup fennel bulb, finely diced
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh tarragon
• 2/3 cup full-fat Greek yogurt (I use Greek Gods brand, as it has a rich creamy taste, not sour) 
• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (1-2 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 slices good whole grain bread
• 1 green apple, thinly sliced
• 4 oz gouda cheese, thinly sliced
• butter or olive oil for toasting bread

 Method

Heat a pan over medium-high heat.

Combine chicken, fennel, red onion, tarragon, Greek yogurt, and mustard in a large bowl. Gently stir to combine fully. Add salt and pepper to taste. Careful not to over-salt, as the taste will improve after the salad has time to rest in the fridge. The cheese also adds saltiness.

Melt a small pat of butter, or drizzle of olive oil into the pan and wirl to fully coat. Place bread in the pan, work in batches, and toast on one side for 1-2 minutes until browned. Flip, and add sliced gouda to one side. While the other side toasts, let gouda melt. 

Remove bread from pan, spoon chicken salad onto the slice of toast without cheese.

 Arrange sliced of green apple over cheese, sandwich both sides together and enjoy!

Shepard's Wheatberry Salad+Balance

There is nothing that I love more than a great rest day. Total relaxation, leisure, and zero urgency.

I don't often have days like this. Usually, I'll find myself with a prioritized list of things I need to get done, projects to catch up on, e-mails to check, etc. But lately, I've been trying this new thing where I give up the guilt of not doing what I think I should be doing- a thought that has no place in reality, by the way- and giving myself permission to take it easy.

There's a time for urgency, and finishing projects with laser-like focus. And there's also a time to rest, reboot, and relax. That's a tough balance to find.

 I teach interval training classes, and in those classes, I see a similar phenomenon play out. People come into the class with the intention of training hard. The come out of the gates sprinting. When periods of recovery are given, they don't take them. Instead they stay in the training zone. However the workout is designed for you to take advantage of the active recovery. What's predictable, if they stay in the zone of heavy work, is a burnout. A burnout on the court of your life could look like a royal meltdown, snapping at someone with words you don't mean, or making rash decisions based in fear and anxiety. Yuck.

It's all avoidable.

I coach my classes to maximize their rest so that they can maximize their next burst of exertion- which in turn maximizes their results.  When we find the balance in our work, we are able to work smarter, not harder. Our periods of rest and solitude help us get the most out of our busy seasons. Find this balance in every single day, and you won't be the hot mess on the other side of a meltdown. You'll be choosing life, as it comes, creating your work and the results you want, without feeling spread thin.

Shepard's Wheatberry Salad serves 4 Adapted from A Family Feast

sheep feta, currants, orange citronette

• 1 cup wheatberries, rinsed
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• sea salt and pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, green part only
• 1/3 cup crumbled sheep feta
• 1/4 cup dried currants 
• 1/4 cup raw walnuts
• 2-3 cups mixed greens

 Method

Combine wheatberries with 3 cups salted water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, rinse, and set aside to cool.

For citronette: Whisk orange zest, and juice in a large bowl. While whisking, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Once emulsified, season with sea salt and pepper.

Add cooked wheatberries to the large bowl, toss in citronette. Crumble in sheep feta, currants, and walnuts, tossing to fully combine.

If serving immediately, toss with mixed greens as well. If eating throughout the week, use half the citronette, keep greens separate until serving, then use the remaining citronette to freshen up the salad throughout the week.

This calls for white wine and relaxing on the patio in the sun. Give yourself permission to unwind and rejuvenate.

enjoy!

Spring Cleaning Breakthroughs + Chickpeas

I don't know about you, but when April rolls around, I start to get inspired by the longer days, the breakthroughs of sunshine, and the spirit of spring cleaning. Out with the old, in with what matters.

I just spent a weekend in Seattle at the Baptiste Art of Assisting program. A phenomenal training on hands-on assisting yoga postures, and the second of three courses that I need for my Baptiste Certification. The weekend was about integrity in alignment. Integrity in our yoga practice, in our assisting, and in our lives. What I love about about Baptiste yoga, is the boldly obvious correlation between how we show up on our mats and in our lives. One thing that showed up for me in assisting this weekend was me holding back because I was afraid that I didn't have something to offer that person. What I really got present to, is that, first off, I DO bring value to the table- in all arenas of my life, and that I'm doing my community a disservice my not sharing that. I also really got that my growth happens when I dive in regardless of how comfortable I feel. There's this saying that Baron has,

The question is not, 'will I survive if I step out of my comfort zone?', it's 'will I survive my comfort zone?'

Every time I've been nervous to do something, and did it anyway, I've experienced a breakthrough. A breakthrough in my confidence, in speaking my truth, in my full self expression, in my relationships. The list goes on.

Spring cleaning is about much more than the dark corners of our homes, it's about the dark corners of our lives! What have you been putting off? What's piling up without attention? Where do you want to experience new freedom? What do you need to clean up- are there conversations you need to have?

The turning in the seasons is a great time to check in with yourself. Are you where you want to be? If not, what's lacking? Usually there is a lack of integrity somewhere. For me, lately, there's been a lack of integrity in my own self care. In taking the time to cook healthy meals. I've been using "busy" as an excuse to grab food at the Co Op for a quick fix. What I really needed to address though, is that I'm not taking the time to care for myself in one of the most basic ways- nourishment. I want to share with you today, a recipe that I'm coming back to for a quick, easily packable, nourishing meal. I present to you, Chickpeas & Greens!

This recipe was adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day. And what a gem this recipe is. I like to soak chickpeas on the weekend, then cook them the next day so I have a fresh batch for various salads of recipes throughout the week. This recipe requires cooked chickpeas, I recommend soaking your own- in such a simple recipe, the quality of ingredients really takes precedence- but canned also work.

Chickpeas & Greens serves 4

lemon zest, red chili flakes, olive oil

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8-1/4 tsp dried red chili flakes
• 3 large handfuls spinach, kale, chard, or another green of your choice
•  2 cups cooked chickpeas
• zest of 1 lemon
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine olive oil, garlic, and chili in a cold frying pan. Turn the heat up to medium and let the garlic and chili begin to sizzle and infuse the olive oil. Saute until just golden, careful not to burn the garlic.

Add greens, saute and turn until slightly reduced, and bright green. Remove the pan from heat, add chickpeas and lemon zest. Stir to combine. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.


This salad keeps great in the fridge for a couple days. I love to serve in over quinoa, or stuffed into an Ezekial tortilla for a tasty wrap.

enjoy!

Green Split Peas & Cilantro Pesto Over Greens

I've been so excited to hear what everyone is up to and off to do in their New Year! There's something about this wiping the slate clean, though we could technically do so any time of the year, that gives our intentions and resolutions sticking power.

One thing that I'm cultivating in 2014 is an 80/20 rule in eating. Normally I'm not the kind of person who's a proponent of rules, especially when it comes to your food. But this rule is adaptable. 80 percent of the time, you eat clean, whole foods. That 20 percent is where you get to indulge.

So what defines a whole food?

A whole food is a food in its most natural form. You can grow it, you can harvest it. If it comes in a box or container, there are less than seven ingredients, and you can define each and every one of them. These are foods that your great, great grandparents would have been able to find and eat. These are foods that the body knows how to break down for energy. These are foods that break down with time in the body, like time released energy. They do not spike blood sugar, but rather offer a steady flow of energy.

What counts?

A great rule of thumb is to shop the perimeter of your grocery store, and your local farmer's market. This includes all fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, whole grains-- such as barley, cracked wheat, pseudocereals such as millet and quinoa. I also include rolled oats, but not instant oats. The more a grain is processed (as in the case of instant oats) the quicker it will hit your blood sugar and cause it to spike, and then consequently fall later. We're aiming for a middle of the road, constant flow of energy taken in. There are also, beans, legumes, olives, nuts, all-natural nut butters, eggs and quality sourced meat and fish.

What kinds of foods fall into the 20%?

This is something you totally have to define for yourself. For different people, indulgence means different things. For me, dairy products such as milk, cream, and cheese are indulgent foods, so they are part of my 20%. Though it depends who you're talking to because one person might argue that you can certainly milk a cow, make butter and make cheese, therefore they are in fact whole foods. TRUE, I just know that for me, and my  body, this is a food that I need to keep in moderation. I also moderate flour and breads, whether I've made them at home from scratch or not. Flour, hits our blood sugar faster than the whole grain. Also, cereal, granola, honey, maple syrup, fruit juice-sweetened jams, and any other natural sweeteners. Going out to eat is another activity that falls into the 20 percent. We love to go out and treat ourselves once in a while. Our intention this year is truly making it a treat, not a habit.

Like I said, the 20 percent of indulgence is something you'll have to look to your eating habits and say, ok what do I like, where can I compromise? This is a rule that works because it is adaptable to your life. One thing that I'll do, is plan my grocery shopping and meals for the week around a 100% whole food plan, then I have room to play and let indulgence step in without worry and anxiety. 

This recipe is a great example of the 80/20 rule. The dish is primarily whole foods, plant based protein from the green split peas, yet still decadent and delicious with the cilantro pesto. This recipe is inspired by one of Heidi Swanson's recipes from her book, Super Natural Every Day. I adapted my parsely pesto recipe and turned it into cilantro pesto, using cilantro, pepitas, coriander and lime.

This salad packs well, green split peas keep sturdy when cooked. If you'll be packing this for lunch, separate greens and split peas until the day you'll be eating them.

Green Split Pea & Cilantro Pesto Salad serves 4-6

cilantro, pepitas, arugula, parmesan

• 1 bunch cilantro, about 2.5 cups packed
• 1/3 cup dry roasted pepitas + 1/4 cup to garnish
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 -1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp sea salt + more to taste
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup dried green split peas, rinsed
• 1 small spaghetti squash, roasted optional
• 2 large handfuls each, spinach and arugula

Method

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add green split peas, simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until tender. Drain and salt to taste. Place in a medium sized mixing bowl to cool.

Add cilantro, 1/3 cup roasted pepitas, parmesan, 1/3 cup olive oil, lime juice, coriander, and 1/4 tsp sea salt into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor as necessary. Add more olive oil if needed to create a smooth consistency. Add more salt and black pepper to taste.

Once the split peas have cooled a bit, add pesto and stir to entirely coat the peas.

Divide greens onto 4 serving dishes, shred spaghetti squash on top, add green split pea mixture, and garnish with pepitas. 


enjoy!

Black Eyed Pea & Goat Cheese Rollups

Can I get a Hell Yeah for the detoxing to begin?!!

As far as detoxing goes, this recipe is more like an in-between stage from pecan pie and mashed potato coma to kale salads with lemon tahini dressing. Still rich and decadent as a dish, and full of whole grains, legumes, and vegetables.

I love this dish because it feels like something I would find in our local Co Op Deli, a mecca for healthy and indulgent food.

This past week was my birthday, which is like the universe saying, 'Yes, eat all the cookies and cake that you possible can indulge in moderation'. So when I came to work and was surprised with a rockin' batch of gluten-free brownies, not to mention this beautiful healthy cake, I couldn't resist the inevitable sugar coma.

Through the rest of the night and over the span of a few days, I began to feel sick to my stomach. I didn't feel on top of my game at all, and I began to see that saying yes to treats a few times here and there had turned into a habit in recent weeks. That night, in the intensity of feeling the sickness, I had this shift-- I do not feel at my best, this is not balanced, and I am beginning to crave sweets. Something needs to change.

I realized that previously, I had made a habit out of choosing healthy options, it was what my body naturally craved in order to thrive. More recently though, when put under new stress of teacher training, two jobs, and maintaining a home life, I had started to dip into old habits of using food to find comfort. I felt the effects of my actions. It wasn't great. I felt slow, lethargic, heavy, bloated, and irritated. As I got bogged down in poor habits I begin to feel my stress further increase. Talk about a vicious cycle!
The thing is, though, once we see clearly, we can make a shift.

Over the past week, I've taken time to prepare my meals and snacks. I also made the resolve to get my butt back into the studio. I took a new interval training class last night, and it brought me back to the way I felt two years ago when I first discovered the power and energy of group fitness. I felt challenged to failure, my heart was pounding, my muscles were struggling to keep up with a new array of movements. It was fabulous! I left the studio feeling inspired by what's possible when we find something that we love, and when it hooks us in! Think back to a time when you felt that surge of inspiration when you tried something new that excited you. If it's been too long to recall, start today, right now, do one thing today that makes your heart skip a beat!

Maybe it's a new fitness class that you've been wanting to try. Maybe it's signing up for a new course on a subject you'd love to learn more about. Perhaps it's connecting with an old friend, or maybe it's getting your butt into the kitchen and whipping up these bad boys! You are a fabulous cook!

Disturb business as usual in your life!

Black Eyed Pea & Goat Cheese Rollups serves 6-8 Adapted from this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis'

brown rice, chèvre, garlic, swiss chard, marinara

• 1 bunch of swiss chard leaves, 6-10 leaves
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1.5 cups cooked black eyed peas (roughly 1 15-oz can)
•  8 oz chèvre 
• 1 cup arugula, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated on a microplane (or roasted for a less intense flavor)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cups marinara sauce, store-bought or homemade, I used Lucini Italia 

Method

Preheat oven to 400F, lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working one at a time, take the chard leaves, dunk them in boiling water for 10-25 seconds until just cooked and bright green, remove from water and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel, set aside and repeat with remaining leaves.

In a large bowl, combine brown rice, black eyed peas, chèvre, spinach, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Mix with clean hands to fully combine ingredients. Pour one cup of marinara to coat the bottom of the baking dish, set aside.

Working in assembly line style, take one chard leaf, fill it with about 1/3 cup of black eyed pea mixture. Roll tight, and place in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining leaves. Pour remaining marinara on top of chard leaves, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, and serve!   

Curried Green Lentil Soup with Browned Butter

Fall in Upper Left, USA has been absolutely gorgeous this year. We've been blessed with picturesque fog in the place of our characteristic drizzle. The sun continues to shine even as frost debuts over our front lawn in the morning.

Fall in the Northwest means, to me, bundling up with multiple scarves, putting pumpkin and maple in everything, cozy evenings indoors, and TONS of thick, hearty soup!

This gem comes to you as an adaptation from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day cookbook. I absolutely love her take on whole food cooking. She makes great use of legumes, all kinds of vegetables, eggs, goat's cheese, nuts, and a wide variety of herbs and spices. This book is definitely one to check out, or gift to your favorite foodie this holiday season.

This recipe perfectly marries green lentils, coconut milk, spicy Indian curry, and browned butter for a meal that is nourishing, warming, and satisfying on all counts.

The best part is that you probably have most of these ingredients in your kitchen already. If you're anything like me, that's a huge selling point in getting me to test a new recipe.

Curried Green Lentil Soup with Browned Butter serves 4-6

green lentils, curry powder, coconut milk, chives

 

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, ghee, or coconut oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1.5 cups green lentils, picked over, rinsed
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp Indian curry powder
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• fine grain sea salt
• 1 bunch chives, chopped

Method

Combine 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sit frequently until onions soften, a couple minutes. Add vegetable broth and lentils, cover and simmer until lentils are soft, about 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm 3 Tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it brown. When it begins to smell fragrant and nutty, stir in curry powder and saute until the spices become fragrant, less than a minute.

When the lentils have finished cooking, remove from heat, stir in coconut milk and 1/4 tsp sea salt, and puree using an immersion blender, leaving a bit of texture. Stir in half of the browned butter, taste and add more salt if needed.

Serve drizzled with remaining browned butter and a heavy hand of chives.

Enjoy!

Green Curry Tofu over Sweet Potato Noodles

Mmm.. easy eats have been my thing lately. Nourishing, warm, simple meals that involve as few dishes to clean as possible.

Recently in a pinch for dinner ideas, I came up with this beauty.

This particular recipe is hardly a recipe.. more like a mash up of favorites that come together for an unbelievably simple, delicious meal.

I used my mandolin to julienne sweet potatoes into noodles, which I then blanched so that they were just cooked. All the while, fresh tofu was simmering in coconut milk and green curry paste. I topped it with a heavy hand of cilantro and cashews for good measure.

Comfort food at it's finest if you ask me.

 

Green Curry Tofu over Sweet Potato Noodles serves 4

sweet potato, green curry paste, coconut milk, cilantro

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 cans lite coconut milk *see note
• 2 Tbsp green curry paste 
• 14 oz firm tofu, sliced into 1-inch cubes
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce 
• 1/3 cup cashews, toasted
• 1 small bunch cilantro

Method

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, use a mandolin to julienne slice the sweet potato into 1/4-inch thick noodles, set aside.

In a large saucepan, stir together coconut milk and green curry paste, bring to a boil, add tofu to the pan, cover and reduce heat. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and finish with fish sauce.

Once the water has come to a boil, add sweet potato noodles. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until just cooked, then remove from pot, drain water, and separate the noodles into 4 bowls. Divide green curry and tofu into each bowl, top with cashews and cilantro. Enjoy!

* note: I usually opt for full fat coconut milk, but in this case, a slightly less rich base is more desirable.