Sweet potato and aubergine lasange

This is a regular of mine! If I've had you to dinner you have probably had this before...

While the title says lasagne, it's more a 'stack' as there isn't any pasta in this. You can make it with pasta instead of the aubergine if you wish.

During yoga weekends I like to serve a lentil soup first or serve a side salad with legumes in it for a bit of protein.

Sweet potato and aubergine lasagne

3 sweet potatoes, chopped

1 large eggplant, sliced

2 leeks, diced

2 cups of spinach, chopped

Goats cheese

Parmesan

Rosemary

Oregano

Sea salt

Cracked pepper

Olive oil

1 tablespoon of ghee or butter

Arugula, basil and flat leaf parsley to serve

Tomato sauce

2 tins of whole tomatoes

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Sea salt and cracked pepper

Coat the sweet potato with olive oil and sprinkle with some chopped fresh rosemary. Add some sea salt and cracked pepper. Roast in the oven at 180C for about 30 minutes or until just soft.

While the sweet potato is cooking you can prepare the other ingredients.

Eggplant:

Lay the sliced eggplant pieces on a chopping board and sprinkle with sea salt. Let them rest for about 15 minutes. Then give them a little rinse under the tap.

To make the sauce:

Drain the tomatoes and place in a saucepan with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper.

Allow to simmer for around 10-15 minutes or until it has thickened slightly. 

Prepare the leek and spinach

In a pan, melt the ghee or butter. Add the chopped leeks and cook, stirring occasionally until softened.  Add the spinach and stir just until it has wilted slightly.

Once the sweet potato is cooked, mash lightly in the same baking pan. It's nice to leave some chunky bits for some texture so don't mash too much.

Cover the sweet potato with the leek and spinach. 

Then place the eggplant over the spinach mixuture.

The next layer is the tomato sauce. Spoon over the eggplant.

Finally dollop on the goats cheese, add some shaved parmesan, chopped rosemary and oregano.

Cook in a 180C oven for about 40minutes.

Serve with arugula, chopped basil and flat leaf parsley. Drizzle with a good olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Spinach, beetroot & quinoa salad with mint & za'atar

 

I made this for lunch today with bits and pieces I had in the fridge. I had some beetroot, spinach and snow peas from the farmers market so they are all in season, local and organic which made it even better...

It's really starting to warm up so raw food and salads are becoming relevant. It's what we are starting to feel like! Keep in mind that your body has to work harder to digest raw food so eat them in the middle of the day and don't go overboard just because they're vegies! As always listen to your body.

I had in mind to serve with a dollop of goats ricotta but there wasn't any left :)

This is isn't really a recipe - the title pretty much says it all.

I love the look home grown beetroot!

Spinach, beetroot & quinoa salad with mint & za'atar

About 1/2 cup cooked quinoa. I used white as I had some handy, red would look great.

A good handful of finely chopped spinach

1 small beetroot, grated

Some snow peas, diced

About 1/2 cup of mint leaves

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon of poppy seeds

Juice of half a lemon

Olive oil

1 tablespoon of za'atar

Salt and pepper

Toss together the quinoa, spinach, beetroot, snow peas and mint.

Lightly toast the sunflower seeds in a dry skillet until golden. Add the poppy seeds to the pan and toast for a couple of minutes.

Dress your salad with lemon juice and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with za'atar and add salt and pepper to taste.

This serves one or two, so adjust accordingly for a crowd.

Za'atar 

1/2 cup sesame seeds (I toast mine in a dry skillet but you can keep raw)

1/2 cup sumac

2 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried oregano

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well.

Mulligatawny Soup

I served this ayurvedic soup at my Spring Yoga weekend.

While I served it as an entree to the main, in an ayurvedic diet this would be dinner. They promote a larger, more hearty meal at lunch time and a lighter dinner, such as soup. This is because they believe that our agni, or digestive fire is strongest in the middle of the day when the sun is at it's highest. So this is the best time to eat foods that are heavier and harder to digest.

Mulligatawny Soup

1 tablespoon of ghee
1 brown onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 diced carrot
1 diced green capsicum
2 diced potatoes
1 diced tomato 
4-5 cups of water
1.5 cups of chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked
1 cup of shredded coconut
1.5 cups of coconut milk
Lemon wedges fresh coriander and salt and cracked pepper to serve.

Heat the ghee in a saucepan and fry onions until soft and golden.
Add the spices and stir. 
Next add the tomato and let cook for a few minutes.

Boil the water in a kettle so it is ready.
Add the carrot, capsicum, potatoes and salt to the saucepan and cook for about 10 minutes. The vegetables will start to stick. When this happens add the just boiled water.
Bring to the boil and cook the soup for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.

Add the shredded coconut, coconut milk and the chickpeas and cook for about 5 more minutes.
Transfer the soup to a food processor and blend until it is smooth.

Serve each bowl with a couple of wedges of lemon (lots of lemon juice is the key!), a handful of  fresh coriander and salt & pepper.

Abhyanga

Henri Matisse
Odalisque with Green Sash
Image taken from flickr

In western culture we seem to view massage as an indulgence, or something to do if we are injured or in pain. However according to Ayurveda massage is an important part of maintaining health.

As well as regular massages from a professional, Ayurveda recommends abhyanga, or self massage as part of the daily routine.

Basically it is the practice of massaging warmed oil over your body before bathing in the mornings.

I know - I can hear you saying how rushed your mornings are already and there’s no chance of giving yourself a massage every morning!
However it really takes no more time than applying moisturiser, and if you’ve massaged oil over your body then there’s no need for moisturiser anyway.

The benefits of abhyanga include:

Sleeping soundly
Increased suppleness and flexibility of the joints and muscles
Helps to reduce cellulite
Improves skin texture and assists its ability to protect it from sun damage
Improves circulation
Calms the nervous system

Another important thing about abhyanga is that it allows you time for being mindful of your body and giving it some much needed attention. Like we always say in yoga, it’s important to consciously release any tension held in the body before it becomes and injury or an illness. After all - it always starts as tension or stress.

All these benefits sound appealing, however after reading this book by Dr Claudia Welch, I started to understand just how important abhyanga is on our overall health. Dr Welch, who specialises in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine believes that abhyanga is one of the most effective practices in balancing hormones and the nervous system. In her book, Dr Welch writes that many health problems (particularly in women) stem from hormonal imbalances.

To quote Dr Welch:

"The skin is the largest organ in the body. We feel sensations on our skin because of the nerves that enervate it. When we cover the skin with warm oil, it calms the nervous system, making it less hypervigilant and and oversensitized. When the nervous system is less jumpy, it is less likely to trigger the release of stress hormones, which we have seen over and over again to be the cause of hormonal imbalance. With the release of fewer stress hormones, our endocrine system may, little by little, be able to regain a healthy balance. This may lead to the resolution of various maladies that have their roots in hormonal imbalance."

How it’s done:

Warm your oil by placing the glass bottle in a mug of hot water. Leave for a couple of minutes to ensure it’s warmed through. It is recommended to use an oil that suits your dosha (more on this later!).  I use extra virgin coconut oil, sesame oil or sweet almond oil. Always use cold pressed, extra virgin oil.

Sit or stand on a towel you don’t mind getting a little oily.

Apply the warmed oil all over your body, then start massaging from your feet and work your way to the centre of your body.

Pay particular attention to the areas of your body which are prone to fat build up. You can really work into them.

You can massage your scalp too if you like - just wash your hair if you don’t want the oily look.

Massage your self mindfully and with love!

It's nice to sit for a few minutes to enjoy the calm and let the oil soak in.
Take a shower after your massage, but don't soap off the oil, just let the water wash it off.

It is recommended to massage yourself for up to 20 minutes, but around 5 or 10 minutes is fine if you are pushed for time in the mornings.
If the mornings are really too difficult, you can try it in the evenings. It's a lovely way to prepare for bed.

Give it a go and see how you feel!

Gomasio

Gomasio is also known as sesame salt. It is a great digestive to have over vegetables, rice, curries or salads. It is delicious!

I used the recipe from a recipe booked called Warmth: The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Nadia Marshall, Kester Marshall & Sensei Michael Doko Hatchett from the Mudita Institute in Byron Bay.

In the note they have beside this recipe, it explains that as the oil from the sesame seeds coats the salt,  yin envelopes yang. Such lovely imagery! They also say that gomasio is an excellent way of getting good salt deep down into the belly where it enhances digestion, absorption & assimilation of nutrients.

Gomasio is regularly used in the cooking at Japanese Zen monasteries.

Gomasio

Ten parts raw unhulled sesame seeds.

One part good quality sea salt (I used Celtic sea salt)

Roast the salt in a pan for around 3 minute, or until the salt seems quite dry.

Use a mortar and pestle to grind it into a very fine powder.

Next roast the sesame seeds in a pan with a tight fitting lid. Listen for some crackles, then take the pan off the heat and shake the pan up and down a few times.

Add the seeds to the salt in the mortar. There will be a little bit of smoke, but you don't want it to smell burnt, as it will mean the sesame seeds are over-toasted.

Grind the salt and seeds together, but with a fairly light hand. Grind until about three quarters of the seeds have broken open. Don't grind too hard.

Keep it in an airtight container. It will be fine away from direct heat but it keeps well in the fridge.

Recipe taken from

WARMTH: The Ayurvedic Cookbook

By Nadia Marshall, Kester Marshall & Sensei Michael Doko Hatchett