Kitchen Sync
Synchronising good cooking with our Yoga Practice!
Sprout Salad
Yoga is a deeply nourishing Practice. If we are to truly return to & maintain balance we also should consider our nutrition standards, the foods we eat are directly responsible for the functionality of our body-mind system.
This recipe is a simple salad made from sprouted mung beans. Sprouting is an excellent & cheap way to enhance & greatly increase the nutritional value of pulse vegetables, morphing hard dry beans into succulent live foods.
How To Sprout:
For 1 serving empty a cup of dry organic mung beans into a big ceramic/glass bowl, pour in 4 cups of filtered water, cover the bowl with a thin tea towel and leave overnight.
In the morning, empty the water and beans through a sieve and rinse the beans under running water thoroughly, put the rinsed beans back into the bowl and from here on we don’t pour extra water over them. cover with a towel, leave them all day.
In the evening thoroughly rinse the beans again under running water in the sieve, return them to the bowl, cover with the towel & leave overnight.
By the second morning (or before) you will see little sprouts coming, repeat the rinsing step evening and morning until the white sprouts are the same length as the bean.
This whole process takes about 3/4 days, once your sprouts are ready, eat them raw immediately or store them in the fridge to prevent further growth, they will stay fresh in there for up to 2 days.
Sprout Salad dressing:
Whisk raw sesame oil, 1 drop of lemongrass oil, juiced/sliced ginger, apple cider vinegar, wasabi, tamari, powdered nori, black sesame seeds, black pepper & lime juice in a small bowl or cup…..taste as you go, dressings are personal so the quantities & proportions are up to you depending on how much of a kick you like!!
Chop in cold cooked beetroot, cherry tomatoes, spring onions and whatever else you fancy!
Add the above ingredients into your bowl of sprouted mung beans, stir, eat, yum!
The life cycle of a sprout!
Dillisk Omlette
If you are eating with the intention of building strength, the appropriate ingredients are fresh foods which are packed full of protein & minerals. One of the best sources of protein, iron, iodine & beta carotene available to us is Dillisk Seaweed. Growing up on an island means easy access to sea vegetables but these days one can get harvested seaweed in most markets & health stores, so if you haven’t got the opportunity to forage for yourself, you still have the option to buy this glorious ocean food.
Recipe for 2:
6 eggs (preferably organic)
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 cup of fresh/soaked Dillisk
4 chestnut mushrooms
1 sweet red pepper
4 big leaves of kale
Half a block of feta cheese (optional)
Season with salt, pepper, fresh thyme & tamari.
Soak & wash the dillisk thoroughly to cleanse away sand & excess salt.
Chop the ingredients however you want them and lightly fry in coconut oil before adding the whisked eggs & cook to your preferred specifications for eggs (hard or soft)
a cool tip for whisking eggs is to add a glug of super fizzy soda water, it brings a wonderful light fluffiness. Shh secret!
Hot spicey tomato dip on the side:
2 big tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 green garlic spear (or a regular clove if not available) 2 tablespoons of Greek olive oil, 5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar/lemon juice.
Garnish with a zucchini flower to bring the pretty!
Warm Butterbean & Avo Salad
A combination of good fats & foods that reduce inflammation is a winner dinner for feeding flexibility. This simple delicious warm salad has all of the above and you will feel light, nourished & free having eaten this gorgeous meal.
Recipe for 1:
2 cups of dried butterbeans
1 avocado
1 ripe plum
half a head of lettuce
Dressing: 4 tblsp good green Greek olive oil, 4 tblsp apple cider vinegar, 1 teasp of each of the following: sumac & turmeric, half a teasp of cayenne. Drizzle lightly at the end with small amounts of the following depending on your tastes: lemon juice, ume shiso, balsamic vinegar & tamari.
Having soaked the beans for 8 hours, then rinse & cook at a moderate heat in thrice as much water until tender (use any left over water as a high protein broth) wash the lettuce, chop the avo & the plum place the hot beans in a bowl with the salad and add the dressing.
Sweet-Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are such a great source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants & fiber making them top on the list of foods which energise us, they are super versatile too. So in this dish we’re giving the sweet potato some extra sweetness with some companion ingredients that are also excellent energisers. Sometimes we just need a pick me up, so rather than reaching for a stimulant or processed sugar we can satiate our cravings & boost our energy in 1 delicious yet saintly snack!
Recipe for 1:
1 large sweet potato
3 slices of cooking apple
1 desert spoon of coconut cream
1 desert spoon of honey (or maple syrup if you are Vegan)
1 teaspoon of each of the following: maca powder, raw cacao powder, cinnamon & vanilla essence.
Bake the sweet potato in the oven at 180 (fan assisted) 200 (regular) for up to an hour until soft in the centre, cut open the skin and scoop out the flesh into a bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients into the mash with a spoon until melty, blended & warm, garnish with star anise if that is to your taste AND ENJOY !
Shitake & Samphire Stove-top Stew
With this dish we aim to give you all the nutrients necessary to help your mind & body in equal measure to maintain a perfect Flow State not just for your practice but for your life!
Recipe for 2:
4 cups of Shitake Mushrooms
3 cups of Samphire
2 cups of blackbeans
3 cloves of garlic
2 onions
1 red pepper
1 cup of veg stock (4 cups if you are cooking the beans from scratch)
half a cup of lemon juice
2 tblsps each of olive oil & tamari
1 teaspn each of cumin, mixed herbs & nutmeg
half a teaspn each of black & cayenne pepper
Fry the mushrooms in the oil & tamari, put all other ingredients except for the peppers & samphire in a pot on the stove-top and cook on a moderate heat til the beans are soft (if you are cooking the beans from scratch) or just for 10 minutes (if you are using tinned beans) then add the fried mushroom mix, the peppers & the samphire & cook for a further 5 minutes on a high heat. this is honestly the yummiest most feel-good meal on planet Earth! Enjoy!
Bread
There’s an old saying that ‘The ones who make bread have the power’
It’s true! if you can make bread you’ll have sustenance for yourself & your loved ones and it’s a great skill to have in general, especially in the winter time.
This 1-loaf recipe is geared towards folks who are busy & who need good & pure nutrition:
500ml Natural yoghurt
1kg Oats
2teasp baking powder
1tablesp olive oil
2tablesp pumpkin seeds
1teasp salt
preheat your oven to 180C
Cut a big enough piece of parchment paper so as to fit in your bread baking tin with some extra poking out past the top.
mix all the ingredients thoroughly until you have a consistent dough to spoon into your paper-lined tin.
cut a line down the centre of your loaf.
place in the oven and cook for 45 mins.
turn loaf upside down in tin and cook for a further 5/10 mins depending on colour/crispiness preferences.
remove bread from tin & allow to cool.
enjoy!!! mmmmm!
Spud & Split pea Dahl
This recipe is the best Winter warmer EVER! Dahl is super easy to make especially if you add in the spuds, then everything is ready & altogether in 1 pot, I like to make a big batch to feed whoever pops into The Yoga House on damp & chilly days, nothing gives me more pleasure than to feed my nearest and dearest with a bowl of this nurturing & warming dahl.
6 cups of green split peas
6 cups of water/veg stock
15 baby spuds (potatoes)
3 onions
3 carrots
2 red chillis
tin of tomatoes
tin of coconut milk
large serving spoon of butter (coconut oil if you’re Vegan)
handful of finely grated fresh ginger
handful of fresh thyme
teasp of each of the following (or more depending on your tastes): Black Pepper, Salt, Cumin, Coriander, Turmeric, Nutmeg, cardamom & Mace.
Rinse the split peas thoroughly, chop the spuds, onions carrots & chillis, put all the ingredients in a big pot, bring it all to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, turn down to a moderate-low heat and cook, stirring every few minutes until the spuds are soft and the split peas go soupy. Inner warmth & pure joy will follow :)
Clean Green Miso bowls
WOW! though I say it myself this is the most delicious clean green treat I have ever created!
so as always, make enough to share so your clan will be happy.
12 chestnut mushrooms
2 blocks of fresh tofu
tin of water chestnuts
4 cups of fresh/frozen peas
4 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach
bulb of garlic
1 cup of pickled ginger
2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons of barley miso paste
2 pints water
fresh green chilli & nutmeg (vary quantity to suit taste)
chop & slow cook the mushies, garlic, chilli, nutmeg & ginger in simmering water for at least 10 mins, chop & add in the spinach tofu, & water chestnuts for a further 5 minutes, then turn off the heat for 2 mins & add in the miso paste, stirring briskly until it is fully integrated, serve in big bowls and EAT with a spoon!
