Menu for Chandra's Retreat

Friday Dinner

Coconut Curried Blue Hubbard Squash Soup with Roasted Garlic

Indian Roti (gluten free)

Curried No-Meat Balls

Basmati Rice, Saag (kale), Mango Relish

Spiced Potato Salad and Many Beans salad

Fresh Greens with salad dressing (nuts)

Chai Tea (caffeine free)

 

Saturday Lunch

Sunchoke Bisque (Fresh bread, butter, margarine)

Gluten free Pain de Campagne, Wild Leek Pesto

Caramelized Parsnip Spread

Spaghetti Squash with Lentils and Sage

Ellen’s Kale Potato Balls

Salade de riz et de pois chiches

Greens, White Miso Salad dressing, pickle beans, cheddar, nuts

Gluten free sage cookies

Wild Peppermint Tea

Saturday Dinner

Miso Soup (Fresh bread, rice crackers, pesto)

Saffron White Basmati Rice (seaweed Gomasio)

Broccoli stir-fry

Nori Rolls, dipping sauce, wasabi, pickle ginger

Greens, Japanese Saladdressing or white miso dressing

Asian carrot salad, Seaweedsalad, Edamame Corn Salad

Tamari almonds, roasted sunflowers and pumpkin seeds

Mint and Calendula Flower Tea

Sunday Lunch

Leftover soup

Quinoa casserole, leftovers

Pesto, vegan cheese...

Greens with leftover dressings

Devilish Eggs, sharp cheddar, nuts, leftover salads

Blackberry Apple Lattice Pie with gluten free crust, Bee Balm Tea

Quinoa-Sorrel Salad

                             Quinoa-Sorrel Salad

If you find yourself thinking about pasta salad, why not think quinoa salad? It's quite nutritious, it takes no more than 15 minutes to cook, and it has a delicate consistency that takes well to vinaigrettes. In this salad, quinoa joins up with fresh sorrel, red onion, tomato, and feta cheese, and is then tossed in a light balsamic dressing. If you're wary about eating uncooked sorrel, you may be glad to know that it has been enjoyed as a salad green for many years in England. But use arugula instead, if you prefer.

                                                                   ***********

1½ cups quinoa

1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil, to taste

3 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 small bunch sorrel (or arugula), stemmed and cut into julienne strips

1 cup thinly slices red onion

1 ripe tomato, chopped

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup crumbles feta cheese or any tangy goat cheese (optional)

Mixed salad greens (I like to combine sorrel, watercress, Italian parsley. and red-leaf lettuce)

                                                                    ***********

1: put the quinoa into a fine-meshed seive, and rinse the grain will under cold water for 1 minute to extract the bitter saponins. Let the quinoa drain for 2 minutes.

2: Heat a skillet  with a lid over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the quinoa. Cook it, stirring often with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes or until the quinoa smells toasted. Add the water and ½  teaspoon salt. Bruing the mizture to a boil, cober the pan, and reduce the hat tolow. Let the quinoa ocok for 15 minutes.

3: While the quinoa cooks, combine the balsamic cinegar and remaining oli in a large bowl. Add the sorrel ro aruula, the red onlin, and the tomato. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.

4: When the quinoa is cooked, add it to the vegetables and vinaigrette. Toss well, add the feta and all more salt and pepper, if you like. Chill the salad, or serve it warm. Either way, serve it on a bed of mixed salad greens.

Serves 4

Wilted Spinach Salad with Marinated Onions in Mustard Seed Dressing

makes 4 servings:

Marinated Onions:
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or Nama Shoyu
Pinch black pepper

Mustard Seed Dressing:
1 tablespoon soft dates or 1 tablespoon agave syrup, maple syrup, or honey
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Salad:
8 cups of spinach
2 carrots, julienned
Pinch ground black pepper

Instructions:
To marinate onions, combine onions with vinegar, Bragg Liquid Aminos, and black pepper. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest of the salad.

To make the dressing, if you're using dates, soak them in 2 tablespoons of water for 5 minutes or until soft. Mash together the dates and water until it becomes a thick syrupy paste. Pour syrup, vinegar, oil, mustard seeds, and salt in a small bowl and mix well.

For salad, place spinach and julienned carrots in a large bowl. Pour in marinated onions, including the marinade. Toss with Mustard Seed Dressing.

To serve, top tossed salad with a pinch or two of black pepper. Set aside for five minutes or more to allow time for wilting. Or if you're like me and can't wait, it's okay to eat right away.

Salad mix will keep for one day, dressing will keep for three to four days, and marinated onions will keep for one day in the fridge when each are stored separately.

This salad is a total winner, it's very simple yet extremely tasty....
 -Lydia

Menu for Anjali's Mother Daughter Yoga Retreat

This outstanding retreat, with Anjali and Kathy from the Yoga Mountain Center, was a joy to cook for with all our stored food from last year (carrots, beets, squash, garlic, beans, corn, etc.) and all that's new in our gardens, fields and woods (greens of all kinds, herbs, flowers, fresh mushrooms, even spruce shoots!). It was inspiring to cook for those amazing woman - mothers and daughters - and it made me even more conscious and grateful for the joy of cooking and working with my own three daughters. I even had the blessing of my mother joining us for the first meal of the retreat!

Friday Dinner 

Carrot and lovage freshly pressed juice

Stinging Nettle Soup

Fresh bread from a local bakery
Basil pesto, fresh goat cheese

Cornbread (with apple sauce)

Spaghetti Squash with Lentils and Sage
Brown and wild rice

Mixed Sky Meadow Bean Salad 
     with Balsamic Dressing

Shredded Beet, Apple, and Carrot Salad

Greens, White Miso Sorrel Salad Dressing
Pickle beans, cheddar, nuts

Sage Cookies, Wild Peppermint Tea

Saturday Lunch 

Miso Soup   
Fresh bread, rice crackers, Wild Garlic pesto

Saffron White Basmati Rice, Kale stir-fry

Nori Rolls, dipping sauce, wasabi, pickle ginger

Greens, Japanese Salad dressing

Asian carrot salad
Corn and Edame- Sesame salad
Seaweed salad

Tamari almonds, roasted sunflowers and pumpkin seeds

Chai Tea (caffeine free and with caffeine)

Saturday Dinner  

Pumpkin Soup

Tempeh, Stuffed squash with brown and wild rice pilaf

Spruce Shoot Compote, Quinoa and Sorrel Salad

Greens, Raspberry Dressing, leftover dressings

Apple pandowdy

Mint and Calendula Flower Tea

Sunday Lunch 

Sorrel  Soup

Chick Pea Crêpe, Bread

Couscous gratiné, leftovers

Pesto, Goat Cheese

Greens, leftover dressings

Deviled Eggs, sharp cheddar, nuts, leftover salads

Pumpkin Bread pudding, Bee Balm Tea

 

Thank you Juli for the pictures!

Garlic-Olive-Caper Spread "Tapenade"

1 cup Niçoise or Greek olives, rinsed and pitted
2 tablespoons capers
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2-1 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11/2-2 cups stemmed parsley

Using a mortar and pestle or food processor, blend all of the ingredients until the tapenade is just smooth enough to spread without becoming a paste. Tapenade will keep a week in the refrigerator and the flavor will intensify with age.

Makes 11/2 to 2 cups


From "Sundays At Moosewood Restaurant".

Almesan

This is a vegan substitute for Parmesan.


1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

Combine ALL the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse until everything turns to tiny crumbs. That's it!

Makes 1/3 cup

From "VEGANOMICON"

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup olive oil, or 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1/2 cup canola or grapeseed oil

In a 1-quart mixing bowl or a food processor, whisk the vinegar, mustard, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. While whisking vigorously, or with the food processor running, drizzle the oil into the balsamic mixture very carefully--slowly at first, then a little faster as the oil in incorporated. This dressing should be fairly thick and will remain emulsified for several days.

Makes 12/3cups

This recipe is from "The Complete Vegan Kitchen".

Enjoy!