Yoga thought for the day: “The first tenet for attaining and maintaining a flexible spine is keeping its entire length elongated as we perform our poses. We must constantly work against gravity to keep the spine from collapsing or shortening.” – Sandra Anderson, Yoga International, Winter 2000.

Alignment cues and recipe instructions can sometimes overwhelm us with how many and how detailed they are. Sometimes we need a break from our more challenging and humbling experiences on our yoga mats and in our kitchens. That’s when we can choose to set a simpler intention for our practice. Today I am mindful of my entire body, but my focus is on the health and vitality of my spine. Today I am aware of the overall quality of the dish I’m preparing, but my focus is on a simple preparation of fresh farm stand vegetables.

My farm stand has been offering the smallest, most delicious organic grape tomatoes I have ever seen and tasted. A fistful of these is more of a treat than a fistful of red M&Ms, and they cook up into a zesty and light sauce. I eat organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible. But I will often choose local over organic, and my preference is that they be both local and organic, or at least pesticide free.

Based on what I’ve read on the subject, fruits and vegetables that are labeled organic:

• have been grown with no synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers;
• do not contain genetically modified organisms;
• have not been processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives;
• have been grown in safe soil, which means soil that for at least three years has been free of sewage sludge, lead salts, potassium chloride, and a long list of other substances;
• have been handled and stored in accordance with specified procedures; and
• have been independently verified to meet organic standards established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Foods that are labeled pesticide free may have been grown without pesticides, but not grown organically in other ways or may not have been independently verified to be produced to organic standards. Enough of that – here’s my delightful sauce, which I served over a combination of white and brown rices mixed with couscous and avocado and my Basil Pineapple Chutney on the side.

Grape Tomato Sauce with Zucchini and Yellow Bell Pepper

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon turbinado or vegan sugar
• 1½ cups chopped organic zucchini
• 1½ cups chopped organic yellow, red, or orange bell pepper
• ¼ – ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 avocado, spooned into a serving bowl, as a garnish

Instructions: Place the tomatoes, ¼ teaspoon salt, and the sugar in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently at first, and then occasionally, and then frequently again at the end. I added about a third of a cup of leftover chopped roasted red pepper and roasted jalapeno that I had to give some additional flavor and heat. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes are very soft and bright red and the liquid has reduced a bit. I find that stirring frequently towards the end with a wooden spoon increases the creamy quality of the sauce. Set aside. This sauce can be prepared any time and stored in the refrigerator in a jar or plastic container until you’re ready to use it. It will keep at least five days.

Spoon a couple of teaspoons of olive oil into, or spray with olive oil cooking spray, your skillet or dutchoven and heat over medium. Sauté the zucchini and bell pepper, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften, about five minutes.  Add vegetable broth one tablespoon at a time to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of your pan. Add the tomato sauce. Lower to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Add vegetable broth or water in small increments as necessary to get the consistency you want and to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add red pepper flakes or freshly ground black pepper and additional salt, to taste.

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Yoga thought for the day: “As we perfect asana, we will come to understand the true nature of our embodiment, of our being, and of the divinity that animates us. And when we are free from physical disabilities, emotional disturbances, and mental distractions, we open the gates to our soul (atma). To understand this, one must gain far more than technical proficiency, and one must do asana not merely as a physical exercise but as a means to understand and then integrate our body with our breath, with our mind, with our intelligence, with our consciousness, with our conscience, and with our core. In this way, one can experience true integration and reach the ultimate freedom.” – B.K.S. Iyengar. Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom (Rodale 2005)

You may have noticed that I’ve been on an hors d’oeuvre kick the last few weeks. The trend continues this week with several more gorgeous and delicious hors d’oeuvre creations. If you think about it, asana practice is the hors d’oeuvre of a deeper, richer, more inward-focused, and more complete yoga practice. And it’s a darn good place to start.

My spicy black bean canastitas (Spanish for little baskets) and spicy red pepper and cream canastitas are a darn good way to start a meal. I also create spciy black bean and spicy red pepper and cream canastitas using medium-size button mushrooms as the little basket (roasted, these are superb). Little canapés with my roasted red pepper and artichoke tapenade are another zesty and colorful way to whet the appetite. If you’d like the recipe for any of these, let me know, and I’ll be happy to share with you.

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Yoga thought for the day: I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what the word yoga means.

“When Patanjali uses the word yoga, he means ‘yoking.’ Its root, yuj, is a direct forerunner of the modern word yoke. The practice of yoga is meant to rein in the tendency of consciousness to gravitate toward external things, to identify with them and try to locate happiness in them. Steady practice at ‘yoking’ teaches consciousness how to turn inward toward itself and realize the true nature of its underlying awareness. Only then, he assures us, can we understand why we are alive, why we suffer, and how we might become happy and wise.” – Chip Hartranft, The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali, A New Translation with Commentary (Shambhala Classics, 2003)

“The word yoga is derived from the verbal root yuj (‘to yoke’ or ‘to harness’). What must be yoked or harnessed is attention, which ordinarily flits from object to object.  . . . [Over time and as yoga developed (centuries ago),] the Sanskrit term yoga was redefined as the ‘union’ between the lower or embodied self and the transcendental Self (atman), and this is still the prevalent understanding of the word inside and outside India.  Even Yoga as union includes an element of yoking, for the lower self cannot merge into the higher Self without proper focusing of attention.” – Georg Feuerstein, The Deeper Dimensions of Yoga: Theory and Practice (Shambhala Publications, 2003)

I like these two formulations. They are helpful to me as I struggle to articulate what yoga is for me. At this point on my journey, I experience yoga as both the path and the goal. Yoga is the means to achieve – and the achievement of – a still and peaceful mind so that I may directly apprehend the oneness of all phenomena for the benefit of all beings. That’s all I’ll say for now.

Yoga means different things to different people, and the same can be said about spring rolls. (How’s that for a segue?) Spring rolls describe a large variety of filled, rolled appetizers, where the kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique vary considerably. Philip and I don’t go out to restaurants much, because we both prefer my cooking. But when we do go out, our favorite restaurant in San Diego is Chedi Thai Bistro in La Jolla (http://chedithaibistro.com/) (and no, they did not pay me to say that: they don’t even know that I’m saying it). They serve sublime spring rolls, and I decided I wanted to try spring rolls at home. I imagined and then attempted to create the perfect spring roll, and tried it out on Philip, who loved them. Then, I was blessed to be able to share my new creation with friends – old and new – at my yoga studio, Akasha Yoga (http://www.akashayoga.com/).  Everyone assured me that my spring rolls were delicious, and Stephanie Pafford, owner extraordinaire of Akasha Yoga, even printed my recipe in her monthly newsletter, and for that I am very grateful.

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try, because not only do these spring rolls look good enough to eat, they are delicious, and – as always when it comes to my cooking – nutritious and healthy.

Natasha’s Japanese and Thai Inspired Spring Rolls – makes 8 spring rolls

Ingredients:

• 8 spring roll wrappers
• 1 tablespoon chives, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1½ cups chopped green cabbage
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, about 6 rotations of the pepper mill
• ½ cup apricot sauce (recipe follows)

Instructions: Place the carrots in a microwave proof small bowl, add 1 tablespoon water, cover, and cook for two minutes in the microwave. Stir and cook for another two minutes. You want to soften the carrots (which will increase their digestibility and nutritional value), but you don’t want them to become mushy. If you don’t have a microwave, you can steam or boil the carrots. Set aside.  Cook the peas for two minutes in the microwave or by steaming or boiling.  Set aside.

Place the cabbage in a microwave proof small bowl, add 1 tablespoon water, cover, and cook for two minutes in the microwave. Just as with carrots, softening the cabbage will increase their digestibility and nutritional value. Toss the carrots, peas and cabbage together with the apricot sauce, salt and pepper.

Submerge a spring roll wrapper in hot water until pliable, about 15 seconds. Place softened wrapper on a cutting board. Place about 2 tablespoons of mix on wrapper and wrap. Don’t be worried if the spring roll wrappers get too soft or tear. Once you roll it up, you don’t see the tears and the softness doesn’t matter. A slightly misshapen spring roll tastes just as good as a near perfect spring roll. Here is my method of rolling: spoon the vegetables just below the diameter line of the wrapper and shape them into a log. Fold the bottom flap over the log, then fold each side flap in. Now you have a vertical rectangular shaped wrap. Roll the wrap forward until it is all sealed up. Continue the process until you have no more filling or no more wrappers.

The spring rolls can be prepared to this point and stored in the refrigerator (covered) until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature with extra apricot sauce and any other dipping sauces of your choice. For example, I like to mix one tablespoon low sodium soy sauce with 1 teaspoon wasabi or sriracha sauce.

Apricot Sauce – makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

• ½ cup dried apricots, soaked in boiling hot water for at least 30 minutes. It’s okay if they soak for longer. So set them to soak and go about your activities.
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• ½ teaspoon sriracha sauce

Instructions: Combine all the ingredients, except the vegetable broth, in a food processor. Process briefly and then add the vegetable broth. If you add the vegetable broth at the beginning, it might erupt and leak out of the top of the bowl of the food processor, creating a mess. (This has happened to me.) Process until very smooth. This could take 5 minutes or so. Scrape down the sides frequently and be patient. If necessary, add additional vegetable broth.

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