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@InSabina Yoga Retreats 4 YogaSpiritCycle
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@DeLievelinge 4 Common Ground Retreat
RECIPES
Winter Pumpkin Soup with garlicky Oyster mushrooms
4 portions
1 big butternut (peel bottom part and take seeds out, cut into cubes, cut long part into 6-8 wedges)
2 sweet potatoes (peel, cut into cubes)
1 onion (chop medium-fine)
2 cm fresh ginger (finely chopped)
Heat the oven to 220 C°
Marinate the wedges with 3 Tbsp olive oil, 3 pinches of salt, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1-2 tsp (spicy) paprika powder, roast sitting on the skin for 35min, after 20min when you see it coloring cover with foil to cook through.
In a soup pot fly off the onions with 3Tbsp of olive oil on a reasonable high heat, when becoming translucent add ginger and mustard seeds as soon as they pop add the cubed butternut and sweet potatoes, let caramelize slightly, add 1/2 cup of white wine, or Mirin for some extra flavor after a minute add water and salt to cover the veggies and lower the heat, simmer for 20min, blend, add extra salt if needed.
8 big pieces of oyster mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
Fly the mushrooms on high heat with 1Tbsp olive oil and salt, add garlic as they getting colored, and fry for another 2 minutes
Arrange on a deep plate, soup, roasted butternut cut in smaller bites, mushrooms with fresh parsley and seeds, a slash of extra virgin olive, and a squeeze of lemon.
Feel free to vary spices, use pumpkin or normal potatoes and different mushrooms would work too...possibly add some fresh spinach...
Enjoy
Ajo Blanco
Andalucian almond cazpachio
For 6 starters or 4 meals
275g almonds (soaked overnight and peeled, to take the skin off cover them with hot water for 10min after soaking)
150g/ 1/4 white bread (soaked with some water)
2 medium cloves of garlic
450ml water
200ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt, pinch black pepper, 1 small chilly pepper
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Optional
1 mini cucumber or 1/3 of a whole one
Blend the almonds with water and garlic, add the rest of the ingredients and blend with a lot of passion, add the cucumber at the end, and blend again shortly.
Add more salt and pepper if you wish, possibly some more water if the consistency is too thick.
Serve cold with ice cubes in summer or at room temperature, garnish with white grapes or olives if you don't have them like me, roasted almonds, sprouts, and a dash of extra virgin olive oil.
All-time favourite bliss balls
...from my Ayurveda school, makes about 15 generous sized balls
200g dates (unpitted)
150g almonds ( I like to roast them)
1 Tbsp coconut oil ( Ghee, cacao butter, or shea butter also welcome)
1/2 orange (zest)
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (slightly crushed)
pinch of salt
dedicated coconut (for rolling)
Roast almonds, let cool and grind in a food processor (I like a medium-fine grind for some intense almond experience), add ginger powder, fennel seeds, and salt
Grind dates separately into a sticky paste without overheating the machine, add the almonds together with orange zest and coco-oil and knead everything together.
Depending on the juiciness of the dates add some orange juice too.
Make into balls and roll through the desiccated coconut.
It's also possible to add some cacao nibs into the balls or cacao for rolling.
Keep in an air-tight container for at least a week.