Recipes to share from Spring Renewal Deep Dive with lunch

What a fantastic group of yogis at today’s Deep Dive with lunch-thank you for joining me at Aditi Studio!

Today, we made room for energy to flow and move through us, shifting or even composting stagnant energy, loosening  blockages in both the physical and emotional bodies. We talked about how the transition to Spring can bring irritability, emotional imbalance, more mucus, allergy and colds due to the dampness the season presents. To help combat this, we can make slight alterations to our diet to include more pungent, bitter, light, dry foods to help ignite our Agni, digestive fire-foods like peppers, radishes, chickpeas for example, warming roots like turmeric and ginger root, herbs like parsley, basil, cardamom, cumin, allspice. Also, warm almond milk with cinnamon is a great morning and evening beverage to help stay in balance during Spring’s damp, earthy season.

So, what did we eat today? Our menu for today’s May 20th Deep Dive Class came from a few different sources which I’m so happy to share with you here:

Quick note: When I cook,  I make a lot of stuff up and may not always follow a recipe exactly to the letter. I’ll often add or subtract ingredients or not pay too much attention to the size of the pan, exact brand or type of ingredient or quantity a recipe calls for.  So, when I share recipies with you, I’ll always be sure to let you know if I’ve changed anything. Let’s cook!

English Pea and Ricotta Tart  Cooking from the Farmers’ Market    William Sonoma

8 by 10 inch rectangle of frozen puff pastry, thawed enough to unfold and roll out with a rolling pin

1 1/4 Cup shelled English peas (Can be hard to find but  Trader Joe’s has them every Spring)

1 Cup fresh whole milk ricotta, drained (I do not drain)

3 Tbsp chopped mint and more for garnish

1 tsp lemon zest

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1/4 Cup fresh, chopped parsley

2 green spring  onions, trimmed & thinly sliced

Fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400, place the puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until puffed, 10-13 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with a sheet of parchment paper and another baking sheet on top and bake until golden and crisp, 10-13 minutes. Remove top parchment and sheet and let cool.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas and cook until tender 2-3 mins. Drain & rinse brieflyunder cold water. Reserve 1/3 Cup peas & set aside. In a food processor, add peas, ricotta and 1 Tbsp mint to make a chunky purée. Stir in the lemon zest & season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine parsely & remaining 2 Tbsp mint, green onions and reserved peas. Season with salt & lemon juice. spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the pastry and top with the parsely mixture. Garnish with whole mint and pea shoots if desired.

Cut, serve & enjoy!

Spiced Chickpea & Fresh Vegetable Salad  

1 Cup dried chickpeas (you can also used canned, drained & dried)

1 tsp baking soda (optional and only if using dried chickpeas)

2 cucumbers

2 tomatoes

1 red pepper (I also added 1 yellow pepper) -seeded & ribs removed

1 bunch of radishes

1 small red onion

1/4 Cup chopped cilantro

1/3 Cup chopped parsley

6 Tbsp olive oil

zest of 1 lemon plus 2 Tbsp lemon juice (I use a little more)

1 1/2 Tbsp sherry vinegar

1 clove crushed garlic

1 tsp fine sugar (i use cane sugar)

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cumin

*Yogurt Sauce I used: 2 cups Greek yogurt, a generous dribble of honey, about 1 Tbsp of each: turmeric & ginger powder

Soak the dried chickpeas overnight in a large bowl with plenty of cold water and the baking soda.

Next day, drain, place in a large saucepan and cover with water twice the volume of the chickpeas. Bring to a boil and simmer, skimming off any foam, for about an hour, until completely tender, then drain.

Mix together the cardamom, allspice, us in and 1/4 tsp salt and toss the chickpeas in the spice mix until well coated. Heat remaining olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and lightly fry the chickpeas for 5-10 mins, gently shaking the pan so they heat evenly and don’t stick.

Cut cucumber, tomatoe, radish, onions and peppers into bite size pieces to your liking. Mix everything together in a bowl with the cilantro & parsley.

In a jar or sealable container, mix 2 Tbsp of the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, vinegar, garlic a7 sugar and mix well to form a dressing, then season to taste with salt & pepper. Our dressing over the salad and toss lightly.

Service with the yogurt sauce and enjoy!

Vegan Pesto Pasta Jenny’s own creation (made with all organic ingredients)

This pesto recipe has no exact measurements as I do it by eye. Essentially, get a big bunch of basil and a big bunch of fresh spinach, wash, de-stem & dry it. Toss 2 cloves of garlic in the food processor with a generous handful of walnuts (or almonds, or pine nuts) and all the basil & spinach, a dash of salt and a generous portion of ground pepper. Add about a 1/4 Cup olive oil and turn on the machine. As it’s working, add more olive oil as needed. Once complete, you’re all set! Cook whole wheat spaghetti noodles or any gluten-free pasta option and mix pesto in once cooked and drained.

 Tumeric-Tahini Dressing   

1 Cup olive oil

1/2 Cup lemon juice

1/2 Cup tahini

3/4 Cup water ( I recommend just a splash of water, that’s what I used)

1 tsp turmeric powder (I was a bit more generous)

1 tsp salt

1/2 Cup finely choppped fresh parsley (I used a bit less)

Put in a sealed jar and shake well. You can also use a food processor, but I find it much simpler to use a jar.

**I steamed a head of cauliflower and used this as the dressing

Vanilla Chia Pudding:

3 Cups almond milk (or soy or coconut) **I used unsweetened organic almond milk

1 Cup chia seeds (sold in bulk at most health food stores)

1 Tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp agave  or maple syrup  **I used agave

In a large jar, place the almond milk, chia seeds, vanilla and agave and shake vigorously until the ingredients are well mixed. The chia seeds will expand and become gelatinous but will remain whole. Refrigerate for 2 hours until fully chilled.

Add fresh strawberries, blueberries, mango, or any fresh fruit that strikes you fancy. You could even try frozen berries!

Enjoy dear yogis, I appreciate you!

In health and happiness,

Jenny