Maple Blueberry Coffee Cake

     When I was living in Paris, I was two doors down from a produce stand. And practically every day after school, I'd stop in and pick something up for dinner. I became friendly with the man who ran the small, outdoor shop, and he'd help me with my French by pronouncing the names of the fruits and vegetables, and then he'd proceed to tell me the reason that that particular produce was good for me. For example, and I very keenly remember this day above the others for some reason, he pointed to a heaping pile of blueberries and said, "myrtilles," the word for blueberries, and then he said, "les yeux," and pointed to his eyes. It's one of those sweet little memories I've kept from Paris. And when I hear either of those words in French, I'm taken back to my favorite produce stand, and my educating, produce-selling friend.

     Blueberries are good for the eyes because they contain Vitamin A. 

     Here's some good things my nutrition books(1)(2) had to say about Vitamin A:

"...Is traditionally known for it's role in the maintenance of night vision."
"prevents some skin disorders, such as acne."
"A well known wrinkle eliminator."
"A powerful antioxidant, helping to protect the cells against cancer and other diseases."

Let's learn some Yoga vocabulary:  Drishti

Drishti (दृष्टि): means focused gaze. You may hear your yoga teacher instruct you to, "Find your drishti." What they mean by that is to find a place to focus the eyes. Sometimes it's focusing on a place on the wall, or in your own reflection. Sometimes, you're not really looking at anything but space, but as long as you hold your focus on that space, you're maintaining your drishti. Sustaining this deep level of focus allows the yogi to withdrawl from his/her surroundings, concentrate, and turn inward. And it's this practice of great concentration, which develops a yogi's ability to meditate. 

A great pose to practice drishti is: Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon) 

Image from: The Key Muscles of Yoga, by Ray Long, MD, FRCSC

     In this pose, I usually bring my gaze to the floor, about one foot ahead of my toes. An advanced practitioner may bring their focus to the ceiling. Done right, this pose is not easy. Press back through your top heal, engage your core, and squeeze quadriceps in toward your pelvis, as you butterfly your hips open. Arms are open wide, reach equally through both fingertips. If you're not balancing on your lower fingertips, try bringing your lower palm to heart-center. 

Now, let's bake!

 

Maple Blueberry Coffee Cake

(Adapted from Heidi Swanson's Maple Hukleberry Coffee Cake)

 

Ingredients:  

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or spelt flour)
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup maple syrup, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• zest of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/3 cups fresh blueberries

Topping:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup maple sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Equipment: 

• 1-pound loaf pan

"but you could likely get away with a 8 or 9-inch cake or pie pan." - Heidi Swanson

 Step 1.
     Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, rack in the middle. Butter your pan.

Step 2.
      In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, thyme, and rosemary. Set aside.

Step 3.
      In a separate large bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer or by hand - until light and fluffy. Drizzle in the maple syrup and beat until well incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple times along the way.

Step 4. 
     Beat in the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, scraping the sides again. Add half of the flour, stir just a bit, now add a splash of the buttermilk, stir again, but not too much. Add the rest of the flour and stir a bit, and now the rest of the buttermilk. Stir until everything barely comes together and then very gently fold in one cup of the huckleberries. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan and set aside.

Step 5.
     To make the streusel topping, place the flour, butter, maple sugar, thyme and pecans in a food processor and pulse 20-30 times or until the topping is a bit beyond sandy/crumbly. It should be moist-looking - on its way to being slightly doughy. Crumble 2/3 of it over the cake batter, sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup huckleberries on top of that, and then add the last of the crumble. Barely pat in place with your fingertips.

Step 6.
     Place the coffee cake in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for five minutes. Brew yourself a pot of coffee, and enjoy!

Books mentioned in this entry:


(1). Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-to-Z guide to Supplements, by Phyllis A Balch, CNC
(2).   Natural Health, Natural Medicine: The Complete Guide to Wellness and Self-Care for Optimum Health, by Andrew Weil, M.D.

America Loves Corn

 

 
     When I think of the 4th of July, too many memories come to mind. For me, this is just as much of a family holiday as Christmas.  The 4th of July's of my youth were either speant sittin' on the porch at my grandparent's house, with homemade ice cream and fresh picked boysenberries; Or at our cousins' property in Oyster Bay, New York, for extravagant soirees and dockside fireworks. In high school, I attended my first annual MacNaughton's 3rd of July party. My friend's family lived on a golf course that had a private fireworks show on the 3rd. We'd drink tequila 'til our clothes came off, literally, because we'd always end up in the jacuzzi or passed out in a bikini somewhere. Sadly that era has ended, but maybe it's better for the heath of us all. July 4, 2010, I was in Avignon, France, and I was alone. I celebrated by watching 2 hours of the show Kendra, dubbed over in French on France's E! channel. I like to think, that no matter where I am, I'm celebrating where I live, and where I come from.

     There's really no recipe that can blend all these stories together. I just feel that corn is such a quintessential summer food, that I decided to make some. My family loves preparing side dishes like grilled corn on the cob, creamed corn, and corn bread; but corn does not an entree make. Unless we're talkin' grits! Grits are American, right? Grits are made from ground cornmeal. The Italians call this "polenta," but both are made by boiling ground corn meal into a paste. I don't like that pasty texture, which is why I love this recipe. Adding fresh corn and cheese, gives much needed flavor and creaminess to this typically uninspired dish. Top with roasted vegetables or butterflied vegan sausage.

Fresh Corn & Cheesy Grits 

(Adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow's 'polenta with fresh corn' )

 

 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup polenta or corn grits (Bob's Red Mill is a good call)
• salt
• kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 cup grated cheese
• chopped fresh chives, for serving

step 1.
     Bring the water to a boil in a large saute or saucepan. Slowly whisk in the polenta and a dash of salt. Turn the heat as low as it can go, and cover. Depending on your stove, and how creamy or grainy you like your grits, you may want to leave the lid lightly ajar to let some steam escape.Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 5-10.

Step 2.
    Cute the kernels off two ears of corn. Add the kernels, milk, and cream, and cook on low-medium heat for 5 minutes.

step 3.
     Remove from heat, and stir in your cheese. Season with salt and pepper, and serve sprinkled with chives. You can sprinkle some more cheese on each serving as well.

Grits with sheeps milk cheese, chives, and roasted artichoke

   I served mine with some baby artichokes from the Farmer's Market that I steamed, halved, and roasted. But I ate my leftovers with butterflied vegan sausage. Field Roast makes Apple & Sage Sausage Links, and they're by far my favorite meatless replacement for sausage and hot dogs. You should find them at whole Foods near the tofu.

____________________________________________________________

"But you know what? The more cheese to me, the better." - Paula Deen

Featured Local

If you haven't figured it out yet, I love going to the Farmer's Market! Sometimes I just show up there with $20 and let the vendors tell me what I should be making for dinner. This week, I met a new vendor, and he calls himself The Milk Man.

His name is Chris, and he made me sample butter. That's right, a slice of butter. But thankfully, I also got to sample cheese. I can be pretty picky about cheese since that one semester that I worked at a cheese counter in Chicago. And I consider myself to know an above-average amount about cheese.  Chris sent me home with a delicious sheeps-milk cheese that I used in my grits. I love cheese, and I'm excited to visit Chris next week and try some new cuts. Here's what I got from the milk man this week:

MilkmanLA

Love where you live.

Happy 4th, friends.

Artichoke Basics

Ah, the artichoke, an early sign of summer, and a vegetarian splendor. 

Baby artichokes from the Mar Vista Farmer's Market

     The artichoke has been a staple dish in my family since I can remember. My mom always prepared them in a pressure cooker, and served them with melted butter for dipping; A simple preparation that highlights the great natural flavors of the artichoke, it really needs nothing more.

     However, in recent years, I've noticed roasted or grilled artichokes showing up on appetizer menus, usually served with a wedge of lemon and garlic ailoi sauce for dipping.  Lemon, garlic, and butter, are an artichokes best friends. I find that grilling the artichoke brings in the flavors of the grill, which are nice, but take away from some of the natural sweetness of the vegetable. Besides, steaming and roasting allow the artichoke to keep a lot of it's nutrients.

     Artichokes are so lovely and ornate, they're even used for bouquets and floral design.  But did you know that the globe artichoke is one of the highest fiber vegetables, proving close to 25% of our daily intake? They're also high in that 'brain food,' folate, and have been found to lowers cholesterol, and support the liver & circulatory system.

     I can sometimes make a whole meal out of just one big globe artichoke, which is why I've decided to showcase the most basic preparation, that I make most often. But, should you decide you'd like to get fancy, I tried my hand at homemade aioli, and I have to say, it's to die for! I offer a quick mayo-based version, as well as a from-scratch-impress-your-guests version at the end of this recipe.


Get ready to fall in love...

Simple Steamed Artichoke

Ingredients: 

• 1 or more medium to large globe artichokes
• 1-2 lemons
• water
• butter or soy-free vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)

Equipment:

• stainless steel vegetable steamer
• large saucepan, dutch oven, or pressure cooker

step 1.
     place your vegetable steamer inside your saucepan or pressure cooker. Add enough cold water so that you can just see the water level peeking through the holes in the steamer. It should only be a few inches in the pot.

My mom grew this beautiful produce

step 2.
     Trim your artichoke. First, pull off the first layer or two of the smallest leaves around the stem. Slice off the stem as close to the base of the artichoke as you like. This part is edible, but it's stringy. I usually leave about 1cm of stem so the artichoke can easily stand upright. Slice a lemon in half, and immediately rub the juice side on fresh cut. Otherwise your artichoke will begin to brown quite rapidly. Next, with a serrated knife, cut off the top third of the artichoke; enough to get rid of any sharp tips, and expose some of the center. The picture above should give you a pretty good idea. Now, rub the lemon all over the top of the artichoke, because again, we don't want any browning.

step 3.
     Slice your lemon up and add it to the water in your sauce pan. This infuses a hint of lemon flavor during the cooking process, and again, keeps the artichokes nice and green. Place your artichokes upright in your vegetable steamer, cover and boil at med-high to high heat for approx. 40 min- 1 hr depending on how large your artichokes are, and how many you've placed in the steamer. My steamer usually fits 3-4 artichokes at a time. You know it's done, when the outermost leaves pull off without any effort.

Step 4.
    Remove from heat. You may need to use a pair of tongs to turn your artichoke upside down before plating.; Sometimes a little water can settle inside.  Warm a small bowl of 1-2 Tbsp. of butter, and dip your leaves in, and enjoy! You'll need a bowl for discarding leaves, because if you didn't know, you only eat the tender base of each leaf by scraping it with your teeth.

uncooked artichoke with the hairy choke exposed

     When you get to the pokey leaves, and the hairy middle, called the"choke," prepare to dig for treasure! For beneath those pokey leaves (which you shouldn't eat), lies the delicious prize, the "heart," of the artichoke. A spoon should easily separate the choke from the heart, although a little scraping may be necessary. I like to put the heart into my bowl of butter, and slice it in to triangles like a pie. Have fun. I guarantee, this is the best part!

Melted butter, globe artichoke, and pimenton aioli

Quick Aioli

(This is Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe verbatim)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise or your favorite vegan mayo

1 small clove garlic, finely minced or grated

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

salt & pepper

the only step. 

     Whisk everything together, adding more of any ingredient to suit your taste. 

Gwyneth is so simple. Dip your artichoke in that or....

Aioli de Luxe

(Adapted from Daniel Boulud's recipe, as heard on The Splendid Table)

Ingredients:

• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• 1 tsp hungarian paprika or pimenton (spanish paprika)

Equipment:

• Blender, food processor, or immersion blender

step 1.

     you're going to double blanch 3 cloves of garlic. First, cut each clove in half lengthwise. The green germ should be visible. Daniel Boulud is a famous French chef, and he says the garlic germ is bitter, and I believe him. Pull the germ out, and discard.

     Put the 6 halves of garlic with a few inches of cold water, in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, discard the water, and put fresh cold water back in with the garlic. Bring to a boil again, and then discard the water. Set aside.

step 2. 

     Poach one egg. Bring a few inches of water to boil in a small saucepan, along with vinegar and a pinch of salt. Break an egg into a cup or a small bowl. Once the water is boiling, slowly slide the egg into the water and simmer for 2 minutes. Use a spooon to fish out the egg, and set it on a towel to dry. The yolk should be runny, but the white should be cooked.

Did you know the word yoga comes from the sanskrit word for yolk?
The eggs from my mom's chickens have such beautiful orange yolks.

step 3.

     I didn't have a food processor or blender available, so I used my immersion blender for the next step, but a blender is really best. Combine, your blanched and fresh garlic, poached egg, water, salt, and mustard and blend until smooth. The next step is REALLY important!

step 4.

     Slowly, while the blender is on, add the olive oil in a steady, slow sltream. The slower the better. Did you get that? Add the oil slowly. The liquid in the blender should begin to thicken. Keep that blender going. Next, add the canola oil at the same slow pace, and pretty soon, your sauce should develope into a mayonaise like texture. Last, blend in your spice. Pimentón is just Spanish paprika. The guy at Sprouts recommended Hungarian paprika for me.

     I could not keep my artichoke leaves away from this sauce. Crazy good! And now I have a whole jar to play with. I think I'm going to try it on a sandwich, or maybe an eggs benedict, especially since my egg poaching skills are now so steller.  



Yum, yum, yum!

Hope you had a great time learning about artichokes. Please "Like" my facebook page, or become a subscriber to this blog to show your support! I love you, my foodie friends!
Thanks for reading.

Power (brownie) Bars

I'll admit, I've been sneaking brownies at work. Chocolate chip cookies too. I don't know why this sweet tooth is hanging around so long, but I had to do something about it. So I jazzed up my protein bar recipe with CHOCOLATE! With the right ingredients, I even made them VEGAN. Now, I can feed my chocolate craving, guilt free, and get my protein too!

If you saw my last entry, I'm focusing on protein this week. Follow this recipe, and each bar packs about 6g of soy-free protein! Their great in the morning to accompany a smoothie, easy to grab on the go, and make for a great little snack between meals, or before or after your workout.

 Power (brownie) Bars

Ingredients: 

• 6 oz dried pitted dates, chopped
• 6  oz dried black figs, chopped
• 1 cup raw almonds, chopped
• 1/3 cup hemp seeds
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• zest of two oranges
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6-8 ounces of chocolate protein powder (I recommend Vega One)
• 1 1/2 cup espresso - brewed and chilled 
• 1/2 cup mini vegan chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life, so yummy)

Optional Ingredients: 

There's a lot of room in this recipe to be creative, add 1/3 cup of walnuts, or some shredded coconut if you like. I encourage you to add your personal touch so these become something you crave.

Equipment:

• 8x11 brownie pan
• A food processor is highly recommended. The first time I ever made 'power bars,' I chopped all my dates and figs by hand. It was ridiculously laborious, and very sticky. To make these today, I borrowed my sister's.

Step 1.
   Brew 2 cups of strong espresso, and set aside to cool.

Step 2.
   In a food processor, combine figs and dates. Depending on how good your machine is, you may want to do a little pre-chopping. I just threw the whole fruits right in there, but add only a few at a time as you pulse the blade, so as not to overheat the machine.

Step 3.
   Add the next 5 ingredients, and anything else you want, like toasted coconut flakes, dried cherries, or even puffed rice cereal. Pulse the machine until this resembles a dry dough. It may seam a little flakey, or stickey, but don't worry, we're going to add moisture.

 

Step 4.

   In a mixing bowl, slowly add 1-2 cups of the cooled espresso to your chocolate protein powder, and whisk until no lumps remain. This should resemble brownie batter, which is what gave me the thought that these remind me of brownies. 

Step 5. 

   In a large mixing bowl, combine your 'dough,' with your chocolatey sauce, and chocolate chips until everything is evenly distributed. It's good to use a strong wooden spoon for this part (or even your hands).

Step 6. 

   Line a brownie pan with plastic wrap, and cut a small sheet of parchment paper to fit inside the bottom of the pan. This will help when it comes to cutting and serving the bars. Spread your mixture into the pan, it should be about 3/4 to 1 inch high. You can smooth another piece of plastic wrap over the top and press down firmly with a smaller, or similar sized pan to really flatten the bars into the pan. Cover, and cool for a few hours, or overnight is best.

 

Step 7. 

   Wrap em up. This batch yielded 21 bars, about 1.5x3 inches, and I wrapped them individually in plastic.

 

Store them in the fridge, and grab one out for breakfast, before yoga, or when you just need a boost of energy. 

 

These are sure to please your tummy and your friends. Make them now, because figs are popping up at local farmer's markets, which means they're in season!

 

Please enjoy! 

Special thanks to Suzanne, who helped with these too. She's due to give birth in less than four weeks, and when she ate these, her baby girl started kicking. We think she liked them. 

Demystifying Meatlessness

Don't eat these.

When I became a vegetarian, naturally I became more concerned about protein. And now, when someone finds out I don't eat meat, the first question I'm usually asked is, "Where do you get your protein?" And I think people are expect to hear that I eat a lot of tofu, and soy chicken nuggets, and tempeh. But in fact, I don't eat any of that. And the reason for this is...

Because they all contain soy.

 

Soy isolate, to be exact, or some other form of deconstructed soy. I guarantee you that if you've bought a 'high-protein' cereal or shake from a grocery store, you can expect to see this kind of soy amongst the first ingredients listed. I'd be willing to bet that soy is listed on the back of your favorite snack food (not to mention MSG), even if it's not labeled on the front.

Soy is America's favorite protein, next to meat. Over 72 million acres of America's farmland are dedicated to the soybean, the same amount that's also given to corn. In addition, most of those farmers are harvesting Genetically Modified crops, which have been linked to CANCER!  Most real health-nuts will tell you to avoid soy completely. If you just can't break the habit, at least buy organic, or whole soy product, like soybeans, whenever possible.

Today, an alarming 60% of the food on America's supermarket shelves contains soy derivatives (i.e. soy flour, textured vegetable protein, partially hydrogenated soy bean oil, soy protein isolate).

Back to my story about becoming a vegetarian. I was worried about getting enough protein, especially since I'm pretty active. So I did what you would think, I ate tofu. And I ate a lot of tofu. I cooked whole bags of frozen edamame and ate them for dinner. I bought veggie burgers, and protein shakes,  high-protein cereal, soy milk, and high-proetin energy bars. The Thai restaurant on the corner knew me by name.

But my body was not havin' it. I was trying to lose weight, but no matter how much I exercised, I couldn't seem to shed any of it. I was bloated ALL the time, I mean 24/7. And I had started to see a dermatologist for a subtle type of acne that was occurring around my chin and cheeks. Finally, I went to a 'natural' healer, a  doctor trained in eastern medicine. She asked me a few routine questions about my sleeping and eating habits, and when I told her I was a vegetarian, I expected kudos. But she quickly gave me my first big lesson on soy. I learned that soy isoflavones interact with your estrogen receptors, and this was sending my hormones into a tizzy. Immediately, I cut soy out of my diet. I went out and bought all the foods and supplements she suggested, and within a months or two, all my symptoms and concerns were gone.

I urge you, my friends, whether you're reducing the meat in your diet, becoming vegetarian, or you simply enjoy protein shakes, please be aware of soy, and try to avoid it. READ YOUR LABELS.

Now this whole discussion may have dispirited you from your vegetarian ambitions. And to be honest, knowing what I know now, it IS harder to find a good quick meal somewhere that's high in protein and soy-free. I'm blessed that I live in LA, where good healthy food is easier to come by, and that I love to cook. Try not to be discouraged. One of the objectives of my blog is to show you that you can get everything you need out of good, whole produce, grains, and herbal supplements; and that eating vegetarian can be delicious.

Some high-protein foods that I enjoy: 

• eggs
• goat cheese
• organic greek yogurt
• raw almonds
• homemade almond milk
• quinoa
• brown rice
• lentils
• garbanzo beans/ chickpeas
• kale
• spinach

AND NOW FOR A RECIPE!

This recipe is high in protein, easy to make, and a great thing to cook on the weekend so that you're stocked for the whole week. It's one of my favorites, as adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day.

Little Quinoa Cakes

 Ingredients: 

• 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled to room temperature
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup chopped chives
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesean
• 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, finely chopped or put through a food processor
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated on a microplane
• 1 cup bread crumbs (whole grain or panko)
• olive oil for cooking surfaces
• water, if needed

Preset oven to 400 degrees.

Step 1.
 Cook your quinoa using box instructions. Usually, 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water (I add a splash of olive oil & a dash of salt). You can also substitute broth for the water for added flavor. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover until the water has all been absorbed. For faster cooling, spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

 Step 2.
  Beat eggs.  Combine with quinoa, garbanzo beans, and salt until well mixed. Stir in chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes to absorb some of the moisture.

Suzanne came over just in time to get her hands dirty

Step 3.
   You should be able to form patties from this. If the mixture is dry, add water a 1/2 tbsp at a time. If the mixture is moist, add more bread crumbs or garbanzo beans. I like to err on the side of moist, because these can get dry in the baking process. Place cakes parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 4.
 Bake for 20 minutes, and flip, then bake for 5 minutes on the reverse side.  They should have risen slightly and be golden brown.

Mini Quinoa Cakes

It was Suzanne's idea to put the left over quinoa mix into a muffin pan. We sprinkled more Parmesan on the top and cooked them for 25 minutes on the bottom rack while the patties cooked on the top rack. I have to say, it was a genius idea. I'll be making quinoa muffins again. Also, a great grab-n-go food for the morning. Since these have plenty of eggs, their perfect for the AM.

Serving.
I ate mine with ketchup, but we both decided these are best served on a bed of arugula that's been slightly tossed in olive oil. Try the little cakes on a piece of toasted wheat bread with some lettuce and tomato, and maybe melt some cheese on top like an open-faced quinoa burger.  There also great just next to some steamed seasonal vegetables. These guys are so versatile, i'm sure you'll find your favorite way to eat 'em.

The Doctor, by the way, that got me off of soy, her practice is in La Jolla: http://www.lajollalymphatic.com/ 

enjoy!
 

Other popular questions for vegetarians*: 

• Do you eat fish? 
• So, is that like a moral choice for you, or is it just about the environment?
• Do you eat eggs?  Cheese? 
• Do you eat a lot of tofu?
• Do you ever miss eating meat?

*I do not recommend asking a vegetarian any of these questions.

Please, if you have questions about the information in this entry, leave me a comment and I'll be sure to respond. 

"Jitterbug Perfume"

“Breathe properly. Stay curious. And eat your beets.”- Jitterbug Perfume 

I'm obsessed with this book right now. So obsessed, in fact, that I intentionally only read one chapter at a time, so as to put off ever finishing it. Concurrently, I have fallen in love with beets. Before, throughout, and after reading this book, I love beets.

In the book, a once king seeks to live forever and ignore death. The king soon befriends the goat-like deity, Pan. And as Pan faces near extinction, and is being hunted by angry religious radicals, who think him to be Satan, the king designs a perfume to hide the goat's unmistakable stench, thereby covering his tracks. The perfume includes a base note made from beets.

Part of the king's ritual for longevity are a few basic principles, including: "controlled breath work, simple eating, sex, and bathing in extremely hot water."* Sounds like he'd make a good hot-yogi. 

And while I recognize this book to be a work of fiction, I believe their is some truth to the fact that controlled breath work can ward off stress, disease, and and even aging (to some extent). The ancient yogis certainly believed it.

Beets have some pretty amazing qualities as well. Some call them 'Nature's Multi-vitamin." In addition to protein, magnesium, and potassium, beets are full of vitamins, and minerals your body needs, but most especially, folic acid. It's no wonder Tom Robbins made it the favorite vegetable of his protagonist. Folic acid aids in cell renewal, which if you've watched any ad for skin cream in the last ten years, helps fight the look of aging. Some articles I found said that folic acid can prevent or slow the greying process of your hair, and even slow the aging of the brain, thereby preventing side effects such as dementia.  And although cooking any vegetable reduces their antioxidant power, and nutrient value, I prefer to eat my beets after they've been roasted (Although, I recently did a juice cleanse that involved a lot of beet juice, but that's for another blog).

In this entry, I share a recipe inspired by one of my new favorite tales, and give some tips on using your breath to increase the quality of your life. 

My mom gave me a beet plant...

So I harvested them.... 

...And washed them...

 ...And roasted them with garlic, and then I peeled them. For instructions on this, see my recipe for beet soup. I used goat cheese, for Pan; and mint, because it smells nice, and this dish needed an herb; mixed it all with brussel sprouts, because it's a delicious combination unearthed by my fellow yogi, Kate Korman (her blog here). Eh voila!

Jitterbug Brussels & Beets

Ingredients :

• Equal weight beet root, and brussel sprouts (I used about a dozen brussel sprouts to match my mom's beets)  
• 1-2 ounced of plain organic goat cheese
• 1-2 sprigs of mint, chiffonade 
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

First, wash and trim your beets, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and add a few halved cloves of garlic, wrap in foil, and bake at about 400 degrees until the skin of the beets is easily removed with the swipe of a finger (about 25 minutes). Set beets aside. 


Wash and quarter the brussel sprouts. In a small roasting pan, coat brussels lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the green color has brightened. 

Slice the beets to resemble the size of your quartered brussel sprouts and sprinkle goat cheese on the mixture. Toss lightly and roast for 20 more minutes, or until some of the brussel sprouts have begun to brown and crisp. 

Right away, sprinkle the mint, toss, and serve. 

My mom's beets tasted sweeter than cherry tomatoes, this is a delicious easy recipe for impressing at a potluck. Easily eaten cold or hot the next day.  

Pranayama - प्राणायाम 

Prana, in Sanskrit, is life force. To the yogi, this is your breath. 

Pranayama, is the extension of life force, otherwise known as breathing. But the way we usually think about breathing in and out, is different than the yogi practice of breath control. We use our breath to control our body temperature, our heart rate, blood pressure, vitality, and especially our deepness of concentration or meditation. Prana is the ever-flowing force of life, it does not just move in and out. It flows throughout and around our bodies to where there is pain, where there is restraint, and where there is static or cold energy. Prana ignites movement in the bones and muscles, and soothes the wandering or troubled mind. 

If you've taken a yoga class recently, you may be familiar with, "Ujjayi breathing," or "breath of fire," or even "standing deep breathing," as is done in Bikram classes. But let's forget all this for a while, and just imagine, you're lying in bed at night and you can't sleep. Instead of counting sheep, try counting your breath. Maybe you're counting 3 seconds on each inhale and and 3 seconds on each exhale. Now try making your exhale ONE second longer than your inhale, and repeat. As long as your exhale is longer than your inhale, your heart rate will slow, creating a calming feeling, which should help you get to sleep. Enhance this practice by only breathing through your nose. 

Simply taking notice of your breath can help reduce stress and anxiety at anytime in your day. Try even-counted inhales and exhales for 1-2 minutes the next time you get frustrated at work, or sitting in traffic.  See how you feel after taking control of your breath. You should feel like you've gained more control over your emotions as well.

Prana is amazing. Play with it. 


That's all for today.

Namaste 

"We relate to air through the breath. Most of us don't breathe properly, which is to say, we take in too little or too much and fail to consume it efficiently. Alobar and Kudra develped a method o' breathin' whereby the inhale and exhale were connected in uninterrupted rhythm, a continuous, circular, flywheel pattern like a serpent swallowin' its own tail. Their breathin' was deep and smooth and regular. When they brought air into their bodies, they visualized suckin' in as much energy and vitality as possible; when they expelled air, they visualized blowin' out all the staleness and flatness inside o' them." Pg 257

Model Behavior

Uttanasana

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Hrdayanjali Mudra

photography by justjq.com

Once I get my full website up and running, I hope to share more of these.