Monday, October 24, 2011

And our latest contributor, Marissa Dana, is a Boston-based Holistic Health & Wellness Coach and a certified yoga and AcroYoga instructor. Her purpose in this lifetime is to fully and joyfully embrace her own path, and support others in realizing their beautiful potential for whole health, happiness, love and fun. www.nourishhealthandwellness.com

Marissa’s Apple Crisp (gluten-free)

5 cups apples, peeled and sliced
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup maple syrup
6 tbl butter



Toss apples with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and layer in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Combine oats, flour and remainder of cinnamon. Break in butter, then add maple syrup. Spread over the top of the apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes - until apples are soft and bubbly and top is brown and crisp. Serves 6-8

Variation options:

Add dried berries or chopped nuts to the apple mixture.
Add chopped nuts or flax meal to the topping.
Combine apples and pears.
Top with a dollop of frozen yogurt, gelato, coconut milk ice cream, or ice cream.
Note: If you use gluten free oats this is a gluten free recipe

Saturday, October 08, 2011




Curried Apple Butternut Squash Soup
by NY Yoga Chef Alexis Lockwood







Ingredients:
1⁄2 oz minced garlic
4 1⁄4 oz diced celery
5 1⁄2 oz diced onion
2 3⁄4 oz diced leeks
1 1⁄2 qt vegetable stock or water 1 tbsp curry powder
1⁄2 tsp garam masala
1⁄2 tsp coriander
1⁄2 tsp cardamom
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 1⁄2 lb butternut squash
3 lb chopped, peeled red apples (Jonagold, Gala, or Honey Crisp) 2-¬‐3 tbsp kosher salt
1-¬‐2 tbsp ground black pepper 2 cups goat’s milk

Garnish:
6 oz diced apples
1⁄4 oz finely chopped chives Garam Masala


Method:
In a soup pot, sweat the garlic, celery, onions, and leeks in a small amount of ghee until the onions become translucent. Add in the spices and stir, until the mixture becomes fragrant. . Add the butternut squash, stir to incorporate the spices, onion, garlic, celery, and leeks. Pour in the stock (or water), bring to a boil and then simmer until tender, approximately 8 minutes. Reduce to a simmer. Add the apples and continue to simmer until the apples are tender, another 5 minutes.
Once all the ingredients are tender, using either an immersion blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Stir in the goat’s milk. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle 6 oz to 8 oz of soup into a bowl and garnish with diced apple, chive, and dust with garam masala.

Yield: 3 quarts

Alexis Lockwood had her first taste of catering in July 2008 when she joined the cooking staff for a yoga retreat lead by Kate Greer and Paul Manza, and what was to become Open Hearts Yoga School, on Martha's Vineyard. Instantaneously, Alexis fell in love with the atmosphere, the guests, and the experience; from that moment forward, she has looked forward to coming retreats which bring new and returning guests whom she takes great pleasure in feeding and getting to know.

Alexis is a graduate of NYU and currently matriculated at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, where she is scheduled to graduate June 2012. Alexis also contributes her culinary love and skills to the Heartland Yoga Project and Farm (HYP&F), in Campbell Hall, NY, and is Head Chef for the ongoing Open Hearts Yoga (OHY) retreats and teacher trainings.

Alexis says that, “one of the most transformational and enriching moments we can share together as human beings is at the table eating a delicious meal,” and it is her intention to elevate those moments at the table with her cooking. She aims to cook dishes that come from the heart and nourish the mind, body, soul, and belly of others.

Alexis is honored to be a part of the OHY staff and is thankful to Kate Greer and Richmond Dickson (OHY), and Paul Manza (HYP&F) to be such a significant part of the production of their epic adventures. Alexis lives and cooks in Rhinebeck, and she is available for catering adventures and as a private chef. Contact: sixela104@gmail.com

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Ayurvedic Apple Madness!!

As promised, thus begins the fall apple recipe series. Our first contributor is the very talented Laura Olson, I love it when she cooks (or not, as she does a lot with raw foods). She is giving up some great on-the-go apple sweetness you don't want to miss.
Laura thinks of herself as a flexy foodie. An avid ashtangi and teacher, writer, foodie and passionate cook living in NYC and Woodstock, NY. Keep an eye out for her soon-to-be website and blog featuring real yoga, delectable-yet-healthy food and great wine, no guilt allowed! For more of hers: www.eatdrinkandbeyogi.squarespace.com



When I first heard about The Ayurvedic Apple, I thought Kate was asking me for ways to make New York City (the big apple) more ayurvedically friendly! Ha! You can, but it is a challenge. In any case, it’s funny, here in NYC it’s not really fall yet. Those cooling breezes and Vatta qualities just haven’t arrived. It’s still warm and very humid, and I still crave my morning smoothie.

On the other hand, our farmer’s markets are burgeoning with local apples, and who can resist what’s in season? This time of year I am also nostalgic about apples dipped in honey for the Jewish New Year and all kinds of fall activities, so I’m ready to dive into apple season, despite the lack of sweater weather!

The first thing I turn to is so easy it’s not really a recipe: apples and nut butter. As a kid, I remember getting apples sliced horizontally so I could see the star shape the core made, and slathering them with peanut butter. Green apples were both my Mom’s and my favorites! Today I am ever so slightly more grown up and I look for alternate nut butters (at least most of the time) in order to get the health benefits. And here’s a twist on the slices.

Mom’s Apple Cups
Cut an apple in half horizontally.
Scoop out the core, leaving an opening perfect for filling.
Fill to overflowing with your favorite nut or seed butter. Mine are almond, walnut and sunflower.

Sprinkle with your favorite toppings. How about raisins and Kate’s sweet spice mix? Or coconut and cacao nibs? A drizzle of maple syrup is SO decadent.
Eat with many napkins nearby!

And, for those cooler mornings…

Baked Apple Oatmeal!
If you’re like me and head out the door for practice early, then have to break-fast on the run, you’ll love these sweet little baked oatmeal “cakes”. I didn’t invent them, they’re all over the food-blog world. But they’re great for us busy working yogis who have to eat on the run, but want to nourish ourselves with home-cooked food! You can eat them warm or at room temperature, and if you topped them with cashew whipped cream, I wouldn’t tell!
makes 2 muffin sized cakes, 2 very dainty breakfasts or one hearty one!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup oats
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon—or more, I like a lot!
(or ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice, or use Kate’s Sweet Spice blend)
1 -2 T Maple Syrup or Agave (about 1 ½ is where I land)
3 T unsweetened applesauce
1-2 T grated apple
1/4 cup almond milk, coco creamer or your choice of liquid (water works too)

heaping 1/16th tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine raw oats, spices, applesauce, apple, and liquid.
Pour into a mini loaf pan or 1-cup ramekin (or, for the daintier among us, two ½ cup ramekins or muffin cups)
Cook for 15-20 minutes, or more until it’s firm.
Set your oven to broil and crisp the tops (optional) 2-3 minutes.
Top with nut butter, cashew cream, a drizzle of maple syrup and more spice, more warm cooked apples (like Kate’s “jam”) or even split in half and fill with any of these options for an oatmeal sandwich. Mmmm, how about coconut butter?

Yum!

Another breakfast on the run, and really one of my fave raw recipes, lent it self perfectly to apple madness. Again, I didn’t invent Vegan Overnight Oats, and these are inspired by Angela at Oh She Glows, by the way, but they are so easy, so malleable, and so portable. It’s not warm, but doesn’t have to be freezing cold. You can haul it to yoga then eat it at room temp to make it slightly more ayurveda friendly. Here’s my twist!

Gingerbread Apple Overnight Oats:

Ingredients:
About 1/3 cup apple, grated, with juices
1 heaping tablespoon chia seeds
Scant 1/3 cup oats (gf if you like)
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tsp apple pie spice or your fave mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger
Splash vanilla extract
Stevia to taste

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a bpa-free covered container and shake, shake, shake. Do this intermittently for about five minutes, then place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Eat.

You can top this with a sprinkle of walnuts, more chopped apple, some of Kate’s cooked apple “jam” or even some sliced bananas and more molasses.

I happen to like the spiciness of the molasses, but if it’s too much for you, reduce to 1 or 2 teaspoons and add some maple syrup to tone it down. This is also great with a scoop of cooked pumpkin puree, maybe half a cup, but the recipe is so forgiving you can do almost anything to it. In fact, I think my favorite way to eat this most of the time is with no oats at all. Wait, I guess that makes it…

Spicy Gingerbread Apple Chia Pudding
Ingredients:
2 heaping tablespoons chia seeds
¾ cup almond milk
grated apple to taste
2 teaspoons or so molasses
1 tsp spice blend of choice
stevia and vanilla to taste

Place all ingredients in a bpa-free container and shake away! Do this intermittently for five minutes or so then place in the fridge for at least half an hour. Devour!

I generally eat both the VOO and the Chia Pudding with a floater of almond milk and a few walnuts on top, maybe a teeny extra drizzle of molasses and a sprinkle of spice. But that’s me. I’m decadent.

And now I’m off to create some mostly raw apple recipes. Kate has given me the bug! Apple Pie Donut Holes anyone?

Happy fall!

Laura