Recipes     Wisdom of Food     Blessings for Food

Minestrone I

Approximately a handful of the following vegetables cut to small bite size.
Any vegetables of your choice is perfect. Be creative and enjoy each season’s gifts.

Butternut squash
Spinach
Sugar snap peas
Onion
Potatoe
1 clove of garlic

Fresh Herbs: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Sage, Lemongrass
After adding all vegetables/herbs to a pot… fill up almost 3/4 full with water
Add dash of sea salt and black peppercorn
Cook approximately 20 to 30 minutes
Upon serving add olive oil and top with fresh herbs

Soup is a light and cleansing food. The healing properties of the vegetables and herbs in warm liquid form provides easy absorption.
This soup is warming and increases circulation with onion, garlic, and squash. The peas, spinach, and herbs provide healthy vitamins and nourish the blood.

Minestrone II

Same as above with the following vegetables:

Pumpkin
Radish
Yellow & Green Zucchini
Sugar Snap Peas
Red Chard
Onion
Roma Tomato
Potatoe
Leeks
Green Pepper
Fava Beans

Choose foods for the unique healing properties of their color.
The colors of foods relate to the chakra colors and provide nourishment to the body, aura, emotions, and mind.
Red foods give great energy and vitality.
Orange foods assist in sensitivity and creativity.
Yellow foods can provide inspiration, alchemy, and intellectual vigor.
Green foods stimulate love and compassion.
Blue foods inspire communication and connection to others.
Purple foods are great for divine intuition.
White foods accent purity and truth.

Steamed Artichokes

Cut fresh artichokes into small 1/4s and steam until soft.
Top with lemon juice, olive oil, white & black peppercorns, and fresh rosemary.

Artichokes are cleansing for the liver and nourish the lungs.
They are helpful in releasing anger stored in the liver and sadness in the lungs.
A great dish for more happiness!

Risotto

In one pot boil water and add sea salt.

In another pot saute an onion and clove of garlic with a tbs butter and some olive oil
Add vegetables of choice and beans:

Yellow zucchini
Peas
A tomato
White beans
Fresh herbs: Basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary

Add one & a half cups of risotto to pot with vegetables, herbs, and beans (serves 2). Add a little less than double the water (little under 3 cups) and ladel in more water periodically as needed. While cooking add grated saffron or a dash of dried saffron till rice becomes golden in color.
Cook approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Top with fresh herbs basil & parsley, a hint of olive oil, black peppercorn, and parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi

Boil potatoes approximately ten medium sized potatoes until soft (serves 4).
Then mash potatoes into a soft puree. Begin to add semolina/or white flour a cup at a time until consistency becomes a dough.
Roll into 1″ long strips, adding a bit more flour. Cut 1″ sections.
Place gnocchis in boiling water with sea salt (just a few minutes) until they surface to top of water.

Basil Pesto
Blend together:
A handful of fresh basil
1/8 cup crushed pignoli nuts
1 crushed clove of garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Approximately1/2 cup olive oil
Dash of sea salt and black peppercorn Pomodoro Sauce
Blend 10 to 12 Roma tomatoes to a puree in blender. Pour into a saucepan adding:
A handful of fresh cut basil
1 clove or more of chopped garlic
Dash of sea salt and black peppercorn

Cook for 20 to 30 minutes over low heat

This festive dish provides vitality and heart warming qualities.

Polenta with Vegetable Stew

Add cornmeal, water, and sea salt in a pot… enough to make a medium liquid consistency.
Cook over low heat approximately 15 to 20 minutes stirring periodically until the cornmeal begins to firm.

Vegetable Stew
In a small pot add:
1 tbs butter
Water or white wine 1/8 cup
2tbs olive oil
Bite size cut vegetables of your choice:
Eggplant
Tomato
Green beans
Leeks
Onions
Carrots
Celery
Fresh herbs: Anise, Basil, Parsley, Sage, Thyme

Stew together over low heat 15 to 20 minutes.
Pour polenta like a thick pancake on a plate… top with butter and parmesan cheese and vegetable stew.

This dish is invigorating for the stomach with it’s yellow vibrant quality and nourishes the heart.

Brown rice penne is a great alternative to semolina pasta. It is much lighter and easier to digest and does not make one drowsy after eating.
Basil pesto and pomodoro sauce recipes above in gnocchi section

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

Cook spaghetti in boiling water with sea salt
Saute finely chopped garlic and red chile pepper with olive oil in a saucepan until garlic becomes golden.
Stir pasta and sauce together and top with finely chopped parsley.

This invigorating dish heats the system boosting the immune system.

Vegetable Coconut Curry

Prepare basmati jasmine rice adding a tbs of butter, a dash of cardamon and nutmeg
In a small pot add one can of coconut milk with vegetables of your choosing:

Broccoli
Eggplant
Zucchini
Bell pepper
Tomatoe
Onion
Chopped garlic
Red chile pepper
Chopped ginger
Dash of curry, masala, tumeric, cumin, coriander

Cook 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve coconut curry over jasmine rice topping with fresh coriander.

This dish is soothing and exciting… has much inspirational shakti within.

Masala Chai Tea

Black tea (loose or by the bag)
A couple crushed cardamon pods
A small piece of dried ginger
A couple of fresh cloves
One cinnamon stick
Optional: one tsp dried lavender flowers
Add hot milk, soy milk, sugar, or stevia to taste

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves,
slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future… Thich Nat Hahn

Tea is a religion of the art of life… Okakura

Honey

Honey is the combination of nectar from flowering plants and other sweet plants gathered and modified by the honeybees.
It contains almost every enzyme, vitamin, mineral, and amino acid the body needs.
Scientists have found honey to have highly effective antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties.
There are so many healing and delicious ways to use honey:

Anxiety 3 TBS apple cider vinegar with 1 cup honey & water sipped throughout the day.
Burns Place honey directly on skin, cover with soft bandage.
Fatigue 1/2 TBS honey with water and cinnamon mid afternoon to boost energy levels.
Impotence 3 TBS honey before sleeping each night.
Insomnia 1 to 2 TBS honey before bed
Pain Relief 3TBS honey in warm water has natural pain relieving properties
Skin Bathe with few TBS honey and rub over skin for more elasticity and moisture

And don’t forget tea and toast… add honey
Note: infants under the age of one should not be given honey… they are already honey!

Metals and Gemstones for Healing Teas

A precious metal tea infuses the healing property of the metal with water, which is a natural carrier of energy.
One can either store water in a silver, gold, or copper container or place a piece of jewelry into a cup of boiling water, allowing it to infuse for an hour.
This makes a delightful tea.

One can also place a jar of water with the gemstone or metal in the sunlight for a few hours…
or leave it a full day and night allowing the sun and moon to shine in the water.
This water can then be used as a metal or gemstone hydrosol spritzer on the face, in the bath, for drinking, etc.

Silver calms and nurtures the mind
Gold stimulates, bringing a wealth of creativity to mind
Copper balances and reduces fat in the body and mind

Each gemstone has a specific healing property,
use your intuition and be guided by the color of the stone.

Cooking with Essential Oils

An essential oil contains all of a plants healing nutrients and are fifty to seventy times more therapeutic than the plants or herbs they are derived from.
Many people who cook with essential oils eat much less food as the smells and tastes are so vibrant.
Eating foods with essential oils will revive and enhance the taste buds providing more sensory pleasure in eating.
All the herbs such as: peppermint, lavender, basil, oregano, rosemary, cinnamon, etc are wonderful to enhance your favorite recipes.
The citrus oils such as: orange, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, etc. will bring an invigorating vivre to foods.
The Essential Oils Cookbook by Menket Price is a great resource for using oils in your diet and creating a quantum leap in culinary pleasure.

Yogic Guidelines for Food

* 1/3 attention on all 3 worlds

The yogis teach three worlds of existence:

Bhuloka, the material physical plane

Devaloka, the dimensions of the astral or subtle realms

Sivaloka, the transcendental absolute, where all is One

This practice is applied to the stomach by having

1/3 full of food (physical matter), 1/3 full of water (fluid), & 1/3 full of air (emptiness)

* Mitahara

The practice of moderate appetite, not eating too much.
This practice keeps one “light”, extends life, and maintains higher consciousness.

* Ahimsa

This is the practice of noninjury to yourself, others, and all of life through thought, word, or action.
Due to this guidepost of truth, some yogis choose to be vegetarian, creating as little ripples as possible on the earth plane.

* Ayurveda

The Vedas teach “the health of wisdom”.
Some yogis practice this way of eating, enjoying the six tastes in every meal:
sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent

* Samadhi

The Sanskrit term for the eterenal bliss available in every moment.
This is the most important yogic guideline: Gather the food, cook, and eat with immense joy, love, and gratitude.
It is a gift to be, to have a body, to create, to nourish, and to be content.
Jai!

Blessings for Food

Bhojana Mantra
Food Blessing

Aum annapurne sadapurne sankaraprana vallabhe
Aum, beloved Sakti of Siva, Fullness everlasting and fully manifest as this food

Jnanavairagya siddhyartham bhiksham dehi ch pa rvati
O, Mother of the universe, nourish us with this gift of food so that we may attain knowledge, dispassion, and spiritual perfection

Mata cha parvati devi pita devo mahesvarah
Goddess Parvati is my mother… God Mahesvara is my father

bandhavah siva bhaktascha svadeso bhunvanatraya
All devotess of Siva are my family; all three worlds are my home

Aum, purnamadah purnamidam purnatpurnamudachyate
Aum, Siva is Fullness Creation is fullness From Siva’s Fullness flows this world’s fullness

Purnasya puramadaya purname vava sishyate
This fullness issues from that Fullness, yet that Fullness remains unchanged

Aum, santih, santih, santih, Aum sivarpanamastu
Aum, peace, peace, peace Aum, this I offer unto Siva

from Loving Ganesha by Gurudeva, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Co Om Union Prayer

Listen to the Sky, Sun, Moon, and Stars, the source of life within your food.

Upon hearing this… communion has been made.

Rejoice and bring the Lover into the Beloved.

Come Dear Lord
(to the tune of Edelwiess)

Come Dear Lord, Be our Guest
As we gather together,
May our hearts glow with love.
Keep us close to you ever.
Friendship and joy, may they bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Bless our home, bless our friends,
Bless each of us forever.

Thank You Prayer

Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the birds that sing.
Thank you God, for everything.