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Medium cauliflower, cut into florets
2 1/2 cups yams (sweet potatoes), large dice
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
Fresh thyme leaves
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line a baking sheet with sides with parchment paper.
Place cauliflower florets, yams, and garlic cloves in pan.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
Toss to mix.
Roast for 20 minutes, or until florets are golden.
Heat coconut oil in a sauté pan.
Add chopped onion and sauté until soft.
Chop thyme leaves, measuring 1 tablespoon.
Add to pan, stir.
Place vegetable stock, roasted cauliflower mixture, onion mixture into a slow cooker.
Cook on high for 1 hour, until cauliflower florets and yams are soft.
Using an immersible blender or pour into a blender when cool, puree until smooth.
Add 1/2 cup non-dairy milk and puree.
Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and finely chopped thyme leaves.
Serve warm.

Serves 4

Note: Can use a Dutch oven or stock pot instead of slow cooker.

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1 medium zucchini
Handful of baby arugula, baby spinach, or greens of your choice
zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup slivered almonds or cashews

Avocado Pesto
1 avocado, peeled and diced
6-10 basil leaves
1/2 lime, juiced
2 scallions, diced
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta
Prepare the zucchini noodles with either a spiralizer, a peeler for long, linguine-shaped noodles, or a mandoline with the julienne blade.
Cut the pasta strands to the desired length.
Combine zucchini noodles in a bowl with washed arugula, lime zest and almonds or cashews, set aside.

Pesto
In a food processor chop garlic and scallions until fine.
Add avocado, basil, lime juice, tahini and oil.
Blend until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper – to taste.

In a large salad bowl, combine the pasta mixture with the pesto, toss together.

Serves 1 generously

Note: Can sauté zucchini noodles in a small frying pan with one teaspoon olive oil over medium heat for approximately two minutes before combining with the other ingredients.

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15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and liquid reserved
seasoned to taste – salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, etc,
oil for spraying
1/4 cup liquid from chickpeas
3 – 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (depending on taste)
1/2 cup tahini
2 – 4 garlic cloves (depending on taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Drop or two of hot sauce (optional)
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
Parsley, chopped (optional)

Directions for roasting chickpeas.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Evenly spread the chickpeas and garlic cloves (skin on) on a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides.
Mist with oil, sprinkle on the seasonings and stir.
Mist, stir and spread evenly once more.
Roast for 5 minutes. Check for doneness. Do not roast for more than 8 minutes.
Remove skins from garlic cloves
Add chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, and garlic in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas.
Blend for 3-5 minutes until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.
Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well.
Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Note: Roasting the chickpeas first intensifies the flavor and texture of the hummus considerably.

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1/3 c pure honey
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1 Tbsp almond butter (or any all natural nut butter)
1 1/3 c coarsely chopped nuts
½ c chopped dried fruit
1 c unsweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 300ºF

Line 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving ends hanging
over two sides.
In a large mixing bowl, combine honey, coconut flour, and nut butter. Stir until well mixed.
Add nuts and dried fruit to mixture. Stir well.
Add coconut flakes to mixture. Stir well.
Place mixture in baking dish. Press firmly so that ingredients hold together.
Bake 20 minutes.
Cool to room temperature. Then place in refrigerator.
Cut into bars. Wrap individually, if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Notes:

Can use any combination of fruit and nuts: almonds, cashews, pistachios, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, golden raisins, papaya, cherries. Try to use unsalted, raw nuts and
as unsweetened dried fruit (most fruits do have added sugar).
Chop nuts and fruits, then measure. This should be a “rough chop”—not tiny pieces.
Maple syrup or agave are not great substitutions for the honey. The bars do not bind as well!
Bars will bind and stick together much better after refrigeration.

Yield: 8 bars

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15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a salad bowl, mix the garbanzo beans, black beans, mint, parsley, onion and grape tomatoes.

Place the jalapeño pepper, garlic clove, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar into a blender. Blend until thoroughly combined.
Pour the dressing over the salad.
Toss to mix.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serves 4

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3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
3 mini-sweet peppers, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
10 corn tortillas, cut into lengthwise strips
1/2 cup orzo pasta
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of two limes
diced avocado for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add olive oil, tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves and mini-sweet peppers.
Toss to combine.
Roast for 40 minutes, or until tomatoes are lightly browned, turning once.
In a soup pot, combine vegetable broth and water.
Bring to a boil.
Add orzo pasta and corn tortilla strips.
Simmer 5-7 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
Add roasted tomato mixture and cilantro.
Stir in salt, black pepper, chili powder and cumin.
Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until heated through.
Garnish with diced avocado and fresh lime juice.

Serves 6

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1/2 package extra firm tofu, drained
8 ounce package mini sweet peppers, seeded and halved
medium sweet onion, cut in circles
2 cups water
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Kirkland 21 spice blend, or brand of your choice
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Salsa, to taste
Fresh mixed greens
Cook spray
Sandwich rolls or flatbread

Grease and Preheat indoor grill pan, Panini press or outdoor grill.

Slice tofu into thin 1/8 inch slices, approximately 8.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine water and mustard together.
Add tofu slices and marinate approximately 5 minutes.
In another bowl combine bread crumbs, spice blend, black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt.
Dip the tofu slices, one at a time, into the bread crumb mixture.
Place on wax paper.
Grill mini sweet peppers and onion circles. Set aside.
Grill tofu slices.
Spread bottom of sandwich roll or flatbread with salsa.
Top with one onion slice and some grilled pepper halves.
Add two slices of grilled tofu.
Finish it off with some mixed greens.
Place top half of sandwich roll on greens or, if using flatbread, roll it up.

Yield 4 sandwiches

Note: Leftover grilled onions and peppers can be refrigerated.

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Eric Paskel & Rina Jakubowicz on Feb 13, 2015

india flowers

As we sit here on a bus in India on our way to hear a lecture about “When is Enough Enough?” from our teacher Swami A. Parthasarathy, we reflect how we have gotten to this place together.

 

Two strangers who happen to be in the same elevator at a Yoga Journal Conference in Hollywood, Florida over a year ago have now joined together in their own spiritual journeys to walk alongside one another.

Part of this “spiritual” walk includes our first trip to India together, which we booked during the dates of February 1 to 15. Neither one of us thought that the trip would fall during Valentine’s Day. We placed our emphasis on a common, higher ideal for ourselves; we knew we needed to see our guru and the time was now.

When we were asked by elephant journal to write our first joint article about what we were doing for Valentine’s Day we chuckled because Valentine’s Day isn’t important to us but we knew we had to do it; not for PR but for RP (Right Purpose). We hope that after reading this, you may have a difference outlook as to what this holiday means to you.

Valentine’s Day can be important, not necessarily to exchange dinners, jewelry, flowers or the like, but to remind ourselves what love is and what it means to give it.

The philosophy of Vedanta explains that true love is neither preferential nor personal; it’s selfless and universal. According to the teachings, when we love correctly, we assess and accept ourselves along with others. This allows us to begin to see ourselves in all creatures, which is called identification. Therefore, our Valentine’s Day gift to each other is making ourselves better people every day, while learning how to love with these definitions in mind and all the while respecting each other’s struggles and natural ways.

These Vedanta teachings are what have helped us create our short yet powerful relationship together. Without them, we wouldn’t have made it thus far.

On this Valentine’s Day, we are at an ashram, sleeping in separate beds in a small room, waking up at 5:00 a.m. to study, wearing the same uniforms, eating the same foods and unable to display public forms of affection due to respecting the Indian customs.

To us, that makes every day romantic, sexy, and a beautiful expression of love because we are engaged not to each other but to discovering something more profound…our true Self.

Peace,

EP

 

Authors: Eric Paskel & Rina Jakubowicz

Editor: Cat Beekmans

Photos: Dennis Jarvis/Flickr  

Rachel Thompson/rachelthompsonphotography.com

 

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1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
5 cups simmering vegetable stock, divided
1 cup grated non-dairy Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons non-dairy butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place rice and 4 cups of vegetable stock in a Dutch oven.
Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and rice is al dente.
Remove from oven.
Add remain vegetable stock, cheese, wine, non-dairy butter, salt and pepper.
Stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes, until rice is thick and creamy.
Add peas and stir until peas are heated through.
Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6

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2 1/2 pound cauliflower, cut into 2 inch florets
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
1 head garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Kirkland 21 spice blend, or a brand of your choice
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large glass mixing bowl, combine cauliflower florets, green beans, garlic head and olives.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Toss to combine.
Spread vegetables in a single layer on baking sheet.
In a small bowl, mix remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with bread crumbs and spice blend.
Sprinkle mixture over vegetables.
Roast for 35 minutes, stirring vegetables once.
Remove from oven.
Let cool.
Separate garlic cloves and peel off skin.
Toss the garlic cloves over vegetables.
Place in a serving dish.
Serve warm.

Serves 4