Yesterday
was the last day of my 108 days of yoga. I started off strong and
determined but somewhere along the way lost a bit of momentum. I still
practiced everyday, but the diet ( no sugar and caffeine) and
contemplative part diminished as time wore on. Regardless, I learned
much about myself, and I also learned valuable information about the
selfishness and insecurities of others when you stop
responding to their every crisis. Listening with your heart and soul
will allow you to hear/see things that may have been invisible before.
Being in a place of complete openness allowed me to see the viciousness
in someone, truth be told, on a heart level I always knew was there.
People lie, even the self righteous that proclaim their honesty from the
rooftops. When confronted directly some people will always take the
easy way out and lie until their dying breath, and continuing their
charade of a life without missing a beat. Good to know. I'll take what
I've learned and move forward knowing that a little skepticism is not
necessarily a bad thing. The universe has been trying to teach me
something by bringing these people into my life. Hopefully, the lesson
has been learned. I feel blessed and thankful to have the people in my
life that I do, and also the ones that make me see the truth in myself
as well as them, good bad or otherwise, and then to move on with or
without them. 108 day older and wiser. Onward and upward - time to embrace this absolutely fabulous Maine Fall weather! Hiking, apple picking, raking/playing in leaves, sitting outside in the sun and reading, sitting beside the fire- either inside or out, are all some of my favorite things to do in the Fall. But cooking and baking Fall foods is what I look forward to most of all. Apples, pumpkins, any and all root vegetables, as well as numerous grains make their appearance over and over again. What makes Fall special to you? What are some of your favorite recipes. Please share. I would love to try something new and perhaps post your wonderful recipe here.
Repost of an old favorite from April.
Lasagne with Pumpkin, Sage, Kale and White Beans
This recipe was an experiment based on what was in my kitchen at the time. My plan for last night was seitan cutlets with mushroom gravy but for some reason that whole process seemed too daunting. For some odd reason the whole process of lasagne didn't seem daunting at all. I guess that's because in my heart I'm an Italian girl even if my blood say Scottish, lol. I didn't measure everything so I will give you my best approximations. This lasagne was seriously delicious!
Oil a 9 x 13 pan
Preheat oven to 450
1 box lasagne noodles (no need to precook)
1/4 to 1/3 cup of sundried tomato and pepper strips
1/3 cup raw cashews (1/3 or so cup of water to aid in processing)
2 large cloves garlic
1 package extra firm or firm tofu
1 box pumpkin puree (17.oz)
1- 2 t rubbed sage
1/2 -3/4 t basil
1/4 - 1/2 t oregano (all herb amounts are approximations - Start w/lower amount and taste test.)
1/8- 1/4 thyme and rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 box white beans (about 17oz) homemade is even better
1 bag frozen chopped kale (16 oz)
2 (24 oz) jars of your favorite marinara sauce- homemade is obviously fine too (I like a chunky sauce)
couple of handfuls of vegan mozzarella - I used Trader Joe's for this recipe
Place tomato and pepper strips, cashews and garlic in a food processor. Process until pretty smooth, adding water as necessary to allow it to get as smooth as possible. Add crumbled up tofu and process till smooth, add pumpkin and herbs and process until well combined. Taste and adjust herbs if necessary and add sea salt and pepper.
Pour about 1/2 cup of marinara on the bottom of your oiled pan. Add a layer of noodles. Spread pumpkin mixture over noodles. Then take handfuls of frozen kale and spread evenly over pumpkin mixture. Do the same with the beans, using much less, spread marinara all over - it should not be too thick that you can't see the veggies but not so thin that it's transparent. Repeat layers. I think I had 5 or 6 layers with the final one not having any beans. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Place back in the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melty and gooey. You can also put it under the broiler for a bit if you want to brown the cheese. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes and then cut up and devour!
Serve with crusty Italian bread and a green salad. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
