Day 4

I had an amazing practice this morning- the vibration of the room was insane...filled with so many students.... tweaking to practice... hard....it was amazing. I hold visions of myself taking different asanas, handstand, forearm stand...and they are manifesting...wildly. I feel like I have finally found my church.... inside of me. I have never seen or felt it so clearly as I do now- I don't attribute it to a vegan diet- more like the intentionality that I have set ablaze in going vegan....I am here.....now. Baron Baptiste says: You are either NOW here.....or.....NOWHERE.....the possibilty in a space..... ;)

I trained a client immediately after practice and lucky Mr.C got the contact high. His practice was amazing, I felt more like his guide than anything else and it was mutually, a great session. I came home and felt spacious. I asked Claudine about dinner and nothing was really agreed upon. I opened up the refrigerator and gazed over it's contents. 1/2 a squash, some carrots, most of an onion, celery, and cauliflower. The squash had been in there the longest and was like "YO....I have about a day left.....2 days MAX........." And then it hit me........, I had every single ingredient I needed to make..........TOFU POT PIE.......How can it be???

This meal is SO fricken yummy. The first time I had it, my sister had made it for a Thanksgiving Dinner years ago- it was out of the Kripalu Cookbook....I adapted the recipe just slightly- (as my sister can attest to me not sticking to recipes......it used to drive her crazy when we had the bakery..."ELLEN...what does a LITTLE BIT MEAN??? 1 teaspoon? 1/2 teaspoon???) but I stay pretty true to their version- just add my Ellen-ness to it.

You steam the cauliflower with the squash then puree that with tahini, miso, ume and brown rice vinegar, agave, salt and pepper- that's the base. Then in a pan, you sauté onions with diced potatoes. Chopped into uniform size pieces, you have carrots, celery and tofu, and frozen peas and corn ( I didn't have the corn but that was the ONLY thing.....), about a 1/4 cup of each. In a bowl, everything gets mixed together, the base, the veggies, tofu, potato/onion mixture.

In the Kripalu cookbook you can either make a biscuit topping or a traditional pastry crust- I made a simple whole grain Spelt flour crust with coconut oil, pinch of salt. This goes over the whole dish- I wasn't into having so much dough (I teach tonight so we will be eating later)......so I poured the pot pie mixture into an oven proof, deepish-dish and then just rolled out the crust for over the top (instead of having the pie crust bottom and top). It bakes for 35-40 minutes at 375 and you serve it with a salad. D E L I C I O U S.......

Day 3

It’s Sunday and I am partial to Sundays. I had a really strong yoga practice this morning and it was nice to feel like I am finally coming over the hump of this cold. I could be delusional and it could also be that today was the first morning I didn’t struggle for a breath- but my practice seemed lighter, happier. Even in the juicy bits of practice, like in double pigeon, I was so
calm, so present. My thoughts are not about my body but about my service, my contribution- my practice as such. It was awesome.

I don’t recall if Sunday dinners were a big part of my family upbringing or if it was just watching the Sopranos too many times that impressed upon me the grace of a good Sunday dinner. Maybe it’s because there seems to be a spaciousness about Sundays that gives me the inspiration to create really delicious food. Tonight I am preparing Vegan Lasagna. In the past, I have always used a vegan base for my lasagna but I would add fresh mozzarella to the mixture- so tonight, day 3, I am omitting the dairy and going all out in the name of peace.

After yoga practice, I love to go food shopping. I seem to have a mental clarity in regards to the choice items that land in my basket- I left this morning thinking to myself “I have good groceries today”. I came home with a new vegan cheese and also a tried and true favorite vegan cheese- made by Follow Your Heart. I use the “Monteray Jack” instead of their Mozz because to me, it has more flavor. They also make my favorite mayonnaise- in the –world- called Veganaise- vegan or not- I use it for everything…sandwiches, salad dressing, I of course use the Organic one.…. So for the “ricotta”, I am doing a blend, part monteray jack, and the new “cheese” that “melts and stretches” by Daiya, in my tofu mix.(tofu, miso, tahini, garlic, olive oil, ume vinegar & brown rice vinegar).

I usually add cooked kale into the mixture but today I was drawn to spinach so I added that in as well. Simple Veg Lasagna served with Garlic Sautéed Kale. YUM……

For the noodles, I use Tinkyadas Organic Brown Rice Lasagna which is DELICIOUS……You would never know it was rice pasta OR whole grain- so for me, it doesn’t make any sense to use white flour pasta for this dish- although it would be just as scrumptious if one was so inclined.

I made the sauce, made the "ricotta" and boiled the brown rice pasta. The assembly goes pretty quickly as soon as all of the components are made. First, a ladle of sauce, then pasta, then a layer of “ricotta”, then noodles, then a layer of sauce, then vegan cheese, then the last layer of “ricotta”, covered by the last layer of noodles- topped with a generous amount of sauce and some more vegan cheese. This bakes for about 45 minutes to an hour at 350. When there is about 10 minutes to go, I prepare the greens and any other parts to the meal; maple glazed carrots, kale sauteed in olive and garlic, and dinner is served!

Day Two

Taught SPIN class this morning- which is always an amazing experience for me- sharing space with others who are dedicating themselves to something bigger than themselves...I love it.
I am still feeling the sickness that came over me on Monday so when I got home I was inspired to make a soup....something warming and nourishing....
something EASY.......immediately TOMATO RED LENTIL soup came to mind.
This soup is super quick and easy to make and it is SO SATISFYING:
Onions, hot pepper, red lentils, 1 large can of tomoatoes and a bouillon. The lentils break down really quick and provide an excellent source of vegetable protein- the whole affair takes no more than 20 minutes from pot to blender to bowl. Whether you leave it chunky, 1/2 processed or totally smooth, it is a lovely meal for any time of day.

In addition to my food choices, I have also committed to buying 2nd hand- over my quicker, baser impulse to just online shop for "stuff".....So I made my first purchase in that pursuit at my friend Lisa's local used clothing store; SWIRL, in town above the studio........ I have to say... I love it. ;)

Day One

I have a lot to say around this subject- this is my second go around at practicing non-violence….I have been a practicing vegetarian for 20 years, 12 of them vegan- the last year I even dabbled in some seafood, my girlfriend says to me today “you had a good go of it” but eating fish or any animal for that matter just doesn’t sit well with me.….As I continue to move closer to my spirituality through my practice of yoga, I realize these food choices are not about me. I woke up this morning compelled to leave complacency and to commit, I do not want to exist at the expense of others- to the best of my ability- and that means no more animal based foods.

Living in Vermont for the past 6 years, I have been exposed to some of the most beautiful produce I have ever eaten, some of it out of my own backyard- that is why it totally perplexes me that there aren’t more vegetarian based resources in the area. I am surprised at the lack of locally produced foods used in the restaurants that do exist. It just doesn’t make sense to me- we ultimately pay for it somewhere, whether it be out of our pockets or our health- we can learn to sustain ourselves locally, organically, and on a plant based diet- if-we-so chose-to. What makes us justify our choices?

Today, I am committed, re-committing. I can’t separate my yoga practice from my daily practice; Ahimsa is a restraint that we put into practice, we have to try, we have to make it a practice, even if that means taking the time to take some of the casual animal-based foods out of our diets- if not for the animals, then for our children, for our planet.

My intention with this blog is to share my experience the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Today I start. Again.

Menu:

(Cannelini) Beans & Escarole

Corn Crusted Tofu

Brown Rice