Favorite Recipes from Yoga Renewal 2014

roasted veggies with avocado

For the last few years I have offered a Yogic Renewal Retreat in my home studio. It's a small intimate group. We chant, do yoga, meditate, let go of the old year, eat and prepare for the upcoming year. Of course, what we eat is a big part of the program. So here are the recipes for those who are eager to replicate them.

Roasted Veggies- Choose any of your favorite veggies. Clean, peel, chop. Root veggies and those that need more time (potatoes, winter squashes, beets, etc), I put in a bowl with 3 T olive oil, 3 T balsamic vinegar, 5 or 6 chopped cloves of garlic, ground rosemary (I love freshly dried from my herb garden and I grind it with a pestle and mortar), salt and pepper. Toss root veggies and put in olive oiled 9 X 12 pan. Roast uncovered at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. In a container I put the rest of my veggies, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, eggplant. Toss in a similar mixture of olive oil, etc. Place in fridge. When the time goes off, I add these veggies for another 30-40 minutes.
Sometimes I eat this by itself with a sliced avocado as shown in pic above.

Polenta Dome adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates
4 c water 

bowl for polenta dome

2 t salt
1 T olive oil
2 c chopped onion
6 cloves chopped garlic
2 c cornmeal (I liked medium size)
1, 2 lb butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and shredded)
1 t ground sage
2 t ground fennel
.5 t ground black pepper
1 c grated romano cheese

Bring water and salt to boil. Slowly add, stirring constantly, cornmeal. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Be sure cornmeal is cooked and not grainy. You will need to keep an eye on this and sit regularly. Olive oil a rounded, bowl. See pic.

Heat olive oil and cook onion, garlic, and 1 t salt until browned. Add shredded squash and cook for 5 more minutes. Add water if it sticks. Stir veggies into cornmeal when the cornmeal is done. Add cheese. Scoop into prepared bowl, cover and let it cool. I place it in the fridge until just before heating to eat. I like that you can make this up to a day ahead of time.

Carefully place on a cooking tray or platter (oven safe). Bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve with roasted vegetables. It's very attractive and very filling.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad
1 apple of your choice chopped
10-20 grapes cut into 4's
1 medium-sized shallot sliced thinnly
1 c roasted walnuts (350 degrees on cookie sheet for 5-8 minutes)
1/2 c goat cheese diced

Dressing:
3 T olive oil
6 T balsamic vinegar
1 T mustard
salt and pepper

Toss ingredients with dressing and serve.

Roasted Pears/Apples
1 pear or apple per person (sometimes I slice sweet potatoes too)
1 t ghee or butter (melt in pan before adding fruit)
Sprinkle with 1 t ground ginger, cinnamon and/or cardamom 

Walnut-Date Balls 
Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Looking for some clarity and guidance in planning your year, check out my Desire Mapping Workshops. The next one in SLC is January 17-18, 2015. My first virtual one begins on February 1st.