By |

 

 

 

 

 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 cups kale, chopped (remove spiny sections) wash, but do not dry
5 cups vegetarian broth (divided- reserving 1 cup)
2 – 15 ounce cannellini beans , not drained (reserve 1 can)
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, shredded, optional

Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onion, garlic and carrots. Saute until soft.
Add kale and sauté for about 15 minutes more.
Add 4 cups of the broth, 1 can of beans and tomatoes. Then add herbs, salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

While it is simmering – put reserved beans and broth in blender and blend.
Stir bean mixture into soup to thicken a little bit.
Simmer 15 minutes more.
Sprinkle with cheese, if desired

Serves 4

By |

 

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Chip Filling

8 ounce non-dairy cream cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener G Egg Replacer
2 tablespoons warm water
1/3 cup sugar
6 ounces vegan chocolate chips
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In large bowl, sift flour through salt. In a food processor, blend water through vanilla. Add flour mixture and pulse until well blended.
In another bowl, using a hand mixer or electric stand mixer, blend until frothy, egg replacer and water. Add cream cheese and sugar and beat until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
Fill 18 paper-lined cupcake cups half full of batter.
Top each with 1 tablespoon of chocolate chip filling and 1/2 teaspoon nuts.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until top springs back when gently pressed.

Makes 18 cupcakes

By |

1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
1/2 orange bell pepper (chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
10 cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 head of broccoli (chopped)
2 vegetarian sausages (chopped)–optional
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 avocado, diced
1 cup cooked white quinoa
juice of one half fresh lemon
Sea salt
Olive oil

Stir fry the first 5 (6 with the vegetarian sausages) ingredients with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat until vegetables are soft, approximately 10 minutes.
Add the stir-fry ingredients to the cooked quinoa along with the diced avocado. Sprinkle with lemon juice, sea salt and olive oil (to taste).

Serves 4

By |

2 medium cucumbers
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup white wine vinegar
Sweet paprika
Freshly ground black pepper

Peel the cucumbers, slice thinly. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand a few minutes. Squeeze out the water from the cucumber slices with paper toweling. Place cucumber slices and onion slices in a serving bowl.
Blend sugar and vinegar in a blender. Pour over cucumber mixture.
Sprinkle with paprika and black pepper.

Serves 4

By |

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G-Replacer
2 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white vinegar
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping
1 tablespoon non-dairy butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400°

Blend 1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G-Replacer with the warm water in a blender until frothy.
Mix lemon juice with the non-dairy milk. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes.
In a food processor, mix well sugar through milk mixture. Add rhubarb and pecans or walnuts, then pulse for 5 seconds.
In a separate bowl combine flour through salt. Add to rhubarb mixture until just blended. Spoon batter into 18 paper lined muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full.

Topping
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Scatter mixture over filled cups and press lightly into batter.
Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned.

By |

2 small zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
olive oil cooking spray
14 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
1 1/4 teaspoons sherry wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Cooked pasta, optional

Preheat oven to 450°

In a large bowl, toss zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper and onion with thyme, rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons water and oil. Fit a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and coat it with cooking spray.
Spread vegetables in a single layer in the pan; roast, stirring once, for 25 minutes.
In the same bowl, combine chickpeas, tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Add to pan with the vegetables; roast 10-12 minutes more.
Toss roasted vegetables with the vinegar.
Sprinkle with basil

Serves 4

Note: Can be served over cooked pasta for a more heartier meal.

By |

Coffee Concentrate
1/2 cup coarsely ground coffee beans (medium bodied coffee works best)
2 1/4 cups cold, filtered water
Infuser beverage container
Almond or any other non-dairy milk
Crushed ice
Flavoring syrups of your choosing
dark cocoa powder, optional

Put ground coffee in the infuser filter. Place infuser filter in the beverage container and slowly pour in the water. Place container in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
To serve, put 1/3 cup of coffee concentrate and 1 cup of non-dairy milk with flavoring syrups of your choice and cocoa, if using, in a blender. Blend thoroughly. Pour into a tall beverage container. Add crushed ice. Enjoy this delicious dessert beverage. Starbucks, watch out!

Serves 3

Note: If you do not have an infuser beverage container, a mason or any jar-like container will work as well. Add ground coffee and water. When ready to use, pour coffee concentrate through a clean filter in your automatic coffee maker.

By |

A beautiful share from one of my first yoga students,  Lisa Chottiner.

Peace,
EP

“Do yoga,” said the infertility doctor. “You need to calm down to become pregnant.”

I was willing to do anything to have a baby. So I prepared my Type A overdrive for chanting, meditating, and levitating with a tiny man in a robe.

Instead, I found myself rocking poses to Cat Stevens, The Stones, and Jay-Z. My tattooed teacher seemed more suited to hang with Bret Michaels than the Dalai Lama.

This everyday guru, Eric Paskel, was the rock star of yoga. It wasn’t because of his killer good looks or his awesome playlist. It was because of his words. Eric was the first person to say he was full of sh**.

But he understood the human spirit and he had the power to express it in between calling out the poses.

Eric scraped souls.

He scraped mine.

After years of yoga classes, five failed IVFs, and a surrogate attempt that belongs on Dateline, Eric said, “wanting to have a child of your own is a selfish act when so many children need your love.”

I hated him.

He didn’t care what I thought. He spoke the truth.
Eventually, I knew it too.

So when the phone rang and the person on the other end said, “A baby girl was born.” I took a deep breath and was ready to welcome her home with less than 14 hours notice.

Three months later, the doctors said my baby girl was blind. I took another deep breath and knew this was a very special call to service.

My daughter is six years old. Each day brings new challenges, but also new joys.

It’s all because of the wisdom of my everyday guru.

By |

 

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound eggplant, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced, equals approximately 1 tablespoon
1 cup cooked or canned white beans
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, leaves only
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 cups marinara (pasta sauce)
Pinch of red chile flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Use 1 tablespoon olive oil to grease a large rimmed baking sheet fitted with parchment paper. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add eggplant and 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant pieces shrivel a bit and are tender and beginning to color, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer eggplant to the bowl of a food processor.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet along with the onion and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently until onions are soft and translucent.
Drain the cooked beans. If using canned beans, drain and rinse them. Add the beans and parsley to the eggplant and pulse until well combined and chopped, but not pureed.
Place the eggplant mixture in a large bowl. Add the onion and garlic and toss. Then add the breadcrumbs and red chile flakes, if using and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Roll mixture into approximately 12 balls, about 2 inches in diameter. Transfer meatballs to the baking sheet. Bake undisturbed, until they are firm and well-browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
Warm the pasta sauce. Serve the meatballs, hot or at room temperature along with the pasta sauce.
Serve over pasta, rice, quinoa or steamed greens.

Serves 4-6

Note: Meatballs can also be added to and warmed up in the pasta sauce.

By |

4 small potatoes
2 small beets
1/2 lb. green beans
3 small dill pickles, diced
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Wash, peel and dice potatoes into desired size. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and roast in a large pan, fitted with parchment paper for approximately 50 minutes. Peel and dice beets. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, add to the potatoes and roast for 40 minutes. Wash green beans and cut into thirds. Toss with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, add to the pan and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Dressing

In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir in roasted vegetables and dill pickles and coat evenly. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 4-6

Note: The vegetables will be roasting at different lengths of time. The potatoes need 50 minutes, so do them first. Prepare the beets and add them 10 minutes later and then add the green beans 25 minutes after that.
This is a Russian version of our traditional potato salad.