What Do Yogis Eat During the Holiday Season?

For many yoga practitioners, it is as simple as living your Eight Limbs of Yoga.  The first are the Yamas or restraints, things we shouldn’t do. One of the Yamas is Ahimsa or non-harming toward others.  This can mean harmful thoughts, words or
actions.  Harmful actions toward animals translate into not eating meat and becoming a vegetarian.  Or excluding dairy products too and becoming vegan.

Many of my yoga pals shared their favorites Holiday dishes and practices.  Here are some delicious foods and beverages to enjoy and share with yogis during this festive season.

We start with a simple thought or Mantra from Kimma:  “I try not to draw attention to my not eating meat.”

I love this.  I do not eat meat and one Christmas it caused a bit of controversy as I passed on the spiral ham.  Peacefully and quietly, be yourself, eat what you want and celebrate.

Patti S. likes to snack on organic dark chocolate.  These can be found at your local Whole Foods or other supermarkets with an organic selection.

ASANA HOUSE

Asana House is located at 127 Valley Road in Montclair.  After your Ashtanga you can hang out, hook up to the internet and enjoy fresh juice combinations, smoothies, organic coffees, teas and homemade chai.  The juicer is always buzzing.  This season all the green leafies are Ayurvedically correct like kale, chards, and spinach.  Roots veggies such as carrots and beets add a tasty flavor to anything on the menu. This week I stopped by and ate a veggie wrap with beets, carrots, spinach and hummus.  Yummy!  It was very colorful and would be a welcomed choice for yogis coming by your house to spread some Holiday cheer.

Check out the website: 
www.asanahouse.com   or call at 973-744-1500

Aquarian Yoga

The newest yoga studio in town, Aquarian Yoga is located at 641 Bloomfield Ave in Montclair.  Dedicated to being the first Kundalini Yoga Center in NJ, Aquarian Yoga offers students inspiring classes as well as a whole yogic lifestyle.  Stop by the studio and check out their Yogic Tea Café.

Interested in a vegan cooking class?  This series of workshops is just for you.

Healthy Holiday Cooking Workshop

Vegan Cooking Class with Trish Sebben-Krupka On Sunday, December 18th join us for the second vegan cooking class "Healthy Holiday Cooking Workshop" at 2pm.  Registration is required. This class will feature delicious sweets such as chocolate chai truffles, as well as healthy holiday meal recipes for all of your celebrating needs. May your holidays be healthy, happy and holy.  Cost is $35 and
includes class, recipes to take home, and lunch.

Stay tuned for the upcoming cooking workshops in this series every 3rd Sunday of the month.

January 22nd - Turning Inward: Nourishing Soups and Salads for Winter

February 26th - Vegan Cooking for Beauty and Vitality

Please inquire by email: info@aquarianyogacenter.com

For more on Trish check online at www.localgirlmakesfood.blogspot.com and www.onegreenplanet.org.

This Yogi Bhajan quote made me smile:  "You think a vegetable is just a food. To me, a vegetable is as good as a medicine."

Check out the website: 
www.aquarianyogacenter.com or call 908-884-4984

HLS Juice Bar and Grill

Healthy Love Soul
is located at 387 Bloomfield Ave in Montclair and in Maplewood too.  Offering a balanced choice for both meat eaters and vegetarians HLS, has a warm inviting vibe. 

My pal Judie turned me onto HLS.  She says, “I love HLS because the food is
delicious and healthy. As a vegetarian, I appreciate the non-meat tasty options.”

Open seven days a week, HLS serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, caters for events and occasionally invites local artist out to perform live.  For breakfast customers are able to purchase scrambled tofu and soy sausage to go along with their multigrain pancakes. 

For lunch and dinner items include the honey BBQ soy chic’n wrap, the vegetarian caesar salad, or the soy chic’n skewers. HLS’s brown rice dishes also come with a choice of soy chicken, or the very popular soy citrus spareribs.  You will also find wraps, soups, juices, smoothies and sweet potato fries!  For more menu items click here. 

In researching this blog HLS owner’s, Arinze and Emeka, mission statement tugged at my sense celebration and pride. 

“Our mission is to prove that foods and beverages can be delicious and fun without sacrificing nutrition or principles…..We pride ourselves on bringing diverse groups together in one warm and welcoming environment. HLS: Many choices. One love.”

Catering is available for on-site and off-site for events.  Please call Lumonga at 973-368-5612 for details.

www.hlsrestaurant.com  or call in Montclair 973-337-8925

The Recipes

Here are a few easy recipes that are great healthy choices to offer any Holiday guest. 

My favorite holiday recipe is visually festive.  Arrange some steamed broccoli on a circular serving dish.  Add some cherry tomatoes for a colorful garnish.  Place your
favorite hummus in the center and there you have it.  A Broccoli Holiday Wreath.

I love this recipe. It smells divine and tastes even better.  It comes from Montclair Patch’s own, Alma Schneider of Take Back The Kitchen.

Alma's Edamame Dip:

1 1 lb bag frozen, shelled, organic edamame (Whole Foods)

1/2 cup olive or canola oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar (sold at most stores)

1 TBS sugar

1 tsp salt

Boil frozen edamame for five minutes. Let cool. Puree all ingredients in a food processor until creamy.  This dip is so easy! And it is green in color.  The flavors are so subtle and dance on your tongue.

Masala Spiced Chickpeas

A classic Indian dal (bean) dish.  Chickpeas are very astringent and good for
both Kapha and Pitta doshas.

GARAM MASALA:

2 tsp. ground coriander

1tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. ground red (Cayenne) pepper

¼ tsp. ground turmeric

Mix all ingredients together except for turmeric.  Add the turmeric at the end of the cooking process as turmeric does not tolerate heat well.

CHICKPEAS:

¼ cup ghee or olive oil

2 cups finely chopped onion

1 ½ cups chick peas (soaked, rinsed and cooked)

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

¾ tsp. salt

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté until light brown, 8 to
10 minutes.  Add masala; stir 1 minute or until spices become fragrant.  Stir in chickpeas, pepper, salt and 1 Tbs water.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 7 minutes or until the first few chickpeas begin to split.  If the mixture becomes dry, add additional water, 1 Tbs at a time.  Curry should be most but not saucy.
 
Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and turmeric.  Garnish with cilantro.

This recipe is courtesy of Diana Bellofatta, Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner.  Find more info at:  www.yogaontherun.com

Indian Rice Pudding or Kheer

My pal Ivy shares this comfort-food dish that will fit on every yogi’s Holiday table.  Ayurvedically balancing during the fall and winter months, the spices are warming
and the garnish heavy, yet digestible and nurturing for our system. Serve warm
or at room temperature, not straight out of the fridge:

INGREDIENTS:

5 1/2 cups of Organic/Raw Cow’s Milk

1 Pinch Saffron Treads

3/4 Cup of Basmati Rice (preferably soaked overnight and rinsed)

1/2 Cup of Raw Sugar (or sweetener of your choice)

1 Handful of Dark Raisins

1 Handful of Slivered Almonds (preferably soaked for a few hours and rinsed)

Ground Cardamom

Ground Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

*Rinse the rice in a colander until the water becomes clear.

-Combine the milk and saffron in a sauce pan or rice pot and bring it to a boil.

-Stir in the rice and the sugar. Simmer uncovered on very low heat for 30 minutes or until the rice is soft and the pudding has reduced to a creamy consistency.

-Stir raisins into the pudding 1/2 way through, so they can absorb some of the moisture.

-Add almonds, cardamom, and cinnamon to the pudding at the end of cooking.

Adapted from Yoga Kitchen, Shoshoni Yoga Retreat's cookbook by Faith Stone & Rachael Guidry)

After meals and visiting, relax with a nice hot cup of Chai.   Jai!

Look for Part 3 - Yoga Retreats, and Part 4 - Yoga Teacher Training and Workshops in the New Year appearing in this blog in the next few days.  If you missed it for Part 1 -- What to Give the Yogis on your Holiday List? More Yoga!  .

Happy Eating. Namaste.

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Melody is a yoga teacher and practitioner at some of the studios/facilities mentioned in this blog.  She receives the opportunity to share yoga within this community on the mat and here in this blog, off the mat.