Purple Blues

I have to say, I am feeling the weight of winter, the cold, the blaas....- every time February rolls around with it's 28 days, I say- either out loud or to myself- it is the fricken longest month of the year. Even with a consistent practice of yoga, exercise and healthful eating, I tend to feel a bit cagey. I have been a bit in the doldrums with food creatively speaking this past week, wishing that I were living in LA, Boston or NY for alternative and unique veg dining experiences.....local Chinese Food can only take me so far......It isn't so much even that I haven't made good food- I think it is genuinely the need to be replenished, taken care of, my soul to be fed by another....(and cleaned up by another).

Last week I purchased a food dehydrator which I am really excited to use- It made me think of when we have a garden, all of the cool things we will be able to do. I am excited to try RAW recipes with it as well. I bought a whole bunch of apples and mangoes- that I have yet to prepare- See what I mean???...... all of the makings but not so much inspiration these past few days....I would love take out....vegan take out.

Yesterday I made Roasted Purple Sweet Potatoes with Onions and Maple Syrup- they came out really nice, I was a little confused eating them- but they were sweet and nutty. I sliced them with a mandolin, did the same with the onion. Tossed them in a bowl with olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper and roasted them for an hour at 400 degrees.



For dinner, I made a Lentil Loaf- I would actually call it the Half Assed Lentil Loaf- I had made a pot of French lentils and had them in the fridge and I had quinoa, also sitting in the fridge. SO...in a bowl I mixed the lentils, the quinoa, diced onion, about a cup of breadcrumbs (I made), some olive oil, ketchup, salt and pepper- I did zero measuring, prepared mainly by checking if the mix was holding together or not. I had purchased some string beans and seared them with garlic and made a quick mash of potatoes. It all sounds more glorious than it came out- I mean it was good-it had a good taste, it was yummy, but my MOOD...eating has felt a bit deflated as of late! Candle Cafe....take me away.......

I teach Yoga class tonight at 6:15 with my awesome students so we will be eating later......CB is doing the cooking, Escarole and Beans with brown rice- a staple in our house and a favorite.......It is a one pot sort of meal that always comes out incredibly delicious and satisfying...

• 2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained
  
• 1 large head of escarole
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  
• 3T olive oil
• chili pepper, pepper & salt to taste
• 1c water
  

In a large saute pan, add 1T olive and 1 clove of garlic, add salt and chili. Saute the escarole over medium high heat until wilted- remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add 2T olive oil, and the remaining garlic, chili, salt and pepper. Add the beans and saute until coated. Add 1 cup of water and let the beans cook partially covered until the beans start to break down and get creamy- about 15-20 minutes - you may need more water if they look dry. In the last phase of cooking, add back in the cooked escarole until everything is heated through. Serve over brown rice or whole grain bread. I quickly made Gomasio
(GO-MAS-EEE-O) to sprinkle over the rice- unhulled sesame seeds with salt, toasted in a hot pan until golden and roasted. Make a lot of this- it is awesome to sprinkle over everything- it is hard to believe so much taste can be in that little seed.....

The sun is shining a little bit longer each day.....March is next week.....spring is right around the corner.....COME ON SPRING........