Breakfast

Many of us grew up thinking breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it provides fuel to the brain and body after an overnight fast (thus the name: “breaking the fast”). There is, however, an ongoing debate about good food habits, and some studies indicate that skipping a cereal, toast and jam may not – metabolically speaking – be as noxious as believed. It would be interesting to know how many of these researches are done with a weight loss rather than a healthy and balanced lifestyle in mind.

Arguments aside, my personal experience is that more regular way I live, hungrier I feel in orderly intervals. Every three or four hours the acoustic signals of my stomach are pounding like a heavy metal band, making me cranky and disoriented, if I don’t turn down the volume by eating a wholesome snack or meal. Such sensation of hunger is the body’s way to communicate the need for energy and, despite of being a nuisance, it is a healthy sign. When the metabolism becomes too weak to send out a distress call, the belly no longer growls in the absence of protein, carbohydrates and fats. By then, there are probably other silent malfunctions related to the liver, hormones and glands, too.

An ideal breakfast depends on a person; there is not only one way to start a day. I approach it as the most exciting and nutritious meal of the day because I have a ferocious appetite, and I also see how much strength and vitality it gives. Actually, I “break the fast” already upon waking up by drinking two cups of hot water with lemon juice as a liver and kidney tonic. Then, after my morning duties and meditation, I eat an apple or two. Apples are high in malic acid, pectin, dietary fiber and potassium, and tend to kick stagnant bile, increase digestive flow and slow down insulin response. For the main breakfast, around 8 or 9am, I choose homemade dairy, vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes and gluten-free grains such as buckwheat, quinoa or basmati rice.

I recently – and finally – bought a pressure cooker which makes it so effortless to prepare chickpeas and other beans and lentils in a jiffy! Instead of boiling the legumes for an hour, it takes from five to ten minutes, and saves energy. I recommend it to every vegetarian.

To make seeds and nuts more digestible, soak them overnight in clean water because, like legumes, they have enzyme inhibitors that otherwise force the pancreas to work overtime and use its own enzyme reserve, causing bloating and heaviness in the abdomen. In a long run, “un-sprouted” nuts may weaken digestion. Germination will increase the availability of additional enzymes, vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc.

To activate the enzymes:

• Soak the seeds for 12 hours
• Rinse the seeds several times to remove any liquid containing enzyme inhibitors
• Eat the seeds immediately or store in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It may be a good idea to aerate or dry them before storing because, as wet, they are more susceptible to spoiling.

BREAKFAST (serves 2 to 4)

Ingredients

125 ml (1/2 cup) chickpeas

500 ml (1 cup) different nuts: almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, Brazil nuts

1 liter milk for paneer + lemon juice

2 avocadoes

100 g (4 oz) baby spinach and other greens (2 – 3 generous handfuls)

2 handfuls of sprouts (alfa alfa, mung, broccoli)

Coconut slivers

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Black pepper powder

Hing powder

Cayenne powder

Kala namak powder

Himalayan salt

Cooking method

Wash and soak the chickpeas for 8 to 12 hours. Rinse and cook them in fresh water until soft but not mushy.

Wash and soak the nuts for 8 to 12 hours. Rinse and chop them coarsely.

Make paneer from 1 liter of milk and lemon juice. Strain it for 10 to 15 minutes and break it into chunks. Save the whey for a later use.

Mix the cooked chickpeas, nuts, paneer, peeled and cut avocadoes, baby spinach, sprouts and coconut slivers in a bowl.

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, spices and salt in a separate bowl or jar, and add it to the salad just before serving.

Thank you.

Saffron Paneer

Say cheese!

Nutritionally, cheese is concentrated milk with a longer shelf-life and many uses. Despite that it may smell like old shoes, people – especially Europeans – have cultivated an acquired taste for it since prehistoric times.

The fermenting process was likely accidentally discovered by storing milk in containers made from animal stomach, in which it naturally curdled as a reaction to rennet. Gradually it led to using the inner mucosa of the fourth stomach chamber of slaughtered, unweaned calves as the main coagulation agent necessary for making hard, ripened cheese.

By Roman times, pressing curds, and salting and aging them, was already an established art. Today, Europeans are still the world’s top cheesemongers and consumers, closely followed by Americans who started to produce their cheddars in an assembly-line as early as in 1851. Although at the dawn of 1900s scientists developed microbial starters to replace the more laborious and expensive animal rennet, there are some cheeses – like Parmesan – that solely rely on traditional ingredients and methods.

For those who follow dietary cultures of Hinduism, Judaism or Islam, or even the ethical codes of vegetarianism, eating cheese that requires slaughtering is out of question. From the point of view of sattvic (pure) lifestyle, the process of ripening itself is questionable because it is actually nothing else than controlling spoilage: many of the odor and flavor molecules in an aged cheese are same as those found in rotten foods.

In India, acid-set soft cheese known as chhena could be perhaps called "the mother-cheese" that predates recorded history. It is prepared by adding lemon juice (or some other sour-agent: yogurt, buttermilk or citric acid) to boiling milk to separate the curds from the whey. It is the simplest kind of fresh cheese widely used both in savory and sweet preparations.

When you wrap these curds in cloth and press them under a weight until they turn into a solid mass, which you can dice and use in curries or salads, you get paneer. It is probably the best known Asian cheese in the West, and you have likely bumped into it when dining in an Indian restaurant. Does palak paneer, kadai paneer, matar paneer, paneer butter masala, paneer tikka, paneer korma or shahi paneer ring a bell?

It’s no secret I love paneer and usually make it once or twice a week. For me, it personifies the generosity and kindness of cows. It is luscious and comforting. These are my tips for making light and fluffy paneer:

1. Use only organic full-fat milk
2. Cook it in a heavy bottom pan over a moderate heat
3. As soon as it reaches the boiling point, turn off the heat and add gradually as little lemon juice as it takes to curdle the milk (about 1 lemon per 3 liters / 12 cups milk)
4. Stir the milk very gently (not vigorously)
5. Drain and wrap the curds in cloth, and press the bundle under a weight (a pot filled with water, for example) only for 5 to 10 minutes: paneer will remain moist but you are still able to cut it into cubes

Although this dish is all about paneer, it’s also about aromatics and texture to which paneer lends a plump body. There are countless spice combinations you could opt for, but I have used a simple and subtle one today to highlight the unique hay-like fragrance and vivid pigment of saffron.

There is a lot of inconsistency in the potency of saffron. Look for deep crimson stigmas and don’t compromise the price!

Just because I found a coconut loitering in the kitchen this morning, I utilized it, but I’ve made the recipe succesfully with cream or even with homemade yogurt instead of coconut milk. If you go for the yogurt, add it after the cashew paste has properly thickened and simmer it over a low heat to prevent it from curdling.

SAFFRON PANEER

Ingredients:

Paneer from 3 liters / 12 cups organic full fat milk

2-3 tomatoes

1 long red, seeded chili (mild), or to taste

A thumb-size piece of peeled ginger root

A little bit of water to paste the chili and ginger

125 ml (½ cup) cashew nuts

125 ml (½ cup) whey (or water)

A half of fresh coconut

500 ml (2 cups) whey (or water) to make coconut milk

2 Tbsp ghee (or butter or oil)

2 tsp freshly ground coriander powder

1 tsp freshly ground jeera powder

125 – 250 ml (½ - 1 cup) additional whey (or water) for attaining desired consistency

2 generous pinches of freshly powdered saffron

1 generous pinch of freshly powdered cardamom

2 tsp Himalayan salt or to taste

Cooking method:

Make the paneer as instructed in the text above. Press it for less than 10 minutes. Preserve the whey.

Wash and peel the tomatoes, and remove the stems. Purée the tomatoes in an electric spice mill or food processor. Set the purée aside.

Make a paste from the chili, ginger and as much water as needed. This amount of chili gives only mild heat. Use more, if you want a stronger taste. Set the paste aside.

Make a paste from the cashew nuts and whey (or water). Set it aside.

Cut the coconut half into smaller chunks and blitz the pieces with whey (or water) in an electric spice mill or food processor. Place thin cheesecloth in a sieve and place the sieve over a bowl. Now pour the coconut paste onto the cloth, make a bundle and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Set the milk aside and use the coconut meat for chutney or other cooking.

Heat up the ghee (or butter or oil) in a pot or pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add the coriander and jeera powder, mix once with a spatula and immediately pour in the chili-ginger paste. Cook it for about 10 minutes until the ghee (or butter or oil) separates from it. You may want to mix it a couple of times to prevent it from scalding. Always grind the spices as needed because they quickly lose the aroma.

Pour in the tomato paste and cook it for another 10 or 15 minutes until the ghee (or butter or oil) separates from it.

Add the cashew paste. Mix it well and then add the coconut milk. Lower the temperature and simmer until the sauce thickens. You may add some more whey (or water) to achieve a desired consistency.

Finally add the saffron, cardamom and salt. Mix well. Then add the paneer dices. Let the flavors infuse for a couple of minutes before serving.

Thank you.

Baked Avocados

Looking for a new way to serve avocados? Stuff and bake them. It’s also an excellent way to get rid of leftovers while cleaning the refrigerator and pantry!

For the stuffing, use your favorite ingredients. I made mine from paneer, cooked black beans, roasted pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, fried eggplant cubes, basil, cayenne pepper, black pepper, hing powder, kala namak powder and Himalayan salt. Then my little helper, Heikki (age 8), grated parmesan-type hard cheese suitable for vegetarians on the top, and I baked the avocados in 220 C (428 F) until the cheese melted and looked nice.

Although he was eager to assist in the kitchen, it turned out Heikki disliked avocados. When the table was set, he announced he would prefer his own snacks instead! While we ate, I learnt *all* about football.

Thank you.

garden spirit

Those who garden here know the sub-arctic weather remains unstable until the second week of June. At one moment the sky is clear and the temperature may climb up to thirty Celsius (86 F). Then, all of a sudden, colors become saturated and air cools down to its dew point; next, frozen crystals, as small as marbles and large as tennis balls, beat the ground. It makes the summer season short and horticulture a challenge. Nonetheless, urban farming is popular in Helsinki.

The city provides about fifty areas with thousands of land parcels; sometimes they have a small pavilion or cottage built in. Additionally, environmental organizations, residential associations and housing cooperatives offer land for community gardening. This year I rented half an acre lot only three minutes bike ride from our home.

After a month of shovelling, raking and uprooting undesirable invaders, I’ve grown to appreciate soil as a good teacher. It is demanding but, also, rewarding. I have taken a special interest in the resilience of weeds. Judging by their success to compete with pampered vegetable seedlings, they are far from being inferior. The idea of a plant as a nuisance reflects human purpose and bias; in nature’s scheme, wild and feral species may also serve a useful function. Many of them have medicinal value. Their adaptability to diverse and adverse circumstances is admirable. They reproduce profusely and may bear quantities of seeds that travel distances by the means of feathery parachutes, or attaching themselves into clothing or animal fur by tiny hooks, burs and cleavers. They may also stay dormant for years until they find a favorable condition to grow. Many multiply from broken bits of stem or root; even after drying up, they may regenerate. If left unchecked, they will dominate the environment, and rob water and nutrients from crop plants.

Horsetail which grows abundantly in my garden is an old remedy for liver and urinary disorders; it contains large amounts of silicon, tannin and potassium. The roots have a nutty flavor but, oh, they are so persistent and long that you never get them entirely out! The moment you look elsewhere, they have already shot a new sprout.

Dandelions are known for their propensity to purify blood and reduce fever. They are rich in vitamin C and A, calcium, iron and minerals. To salads, the leaves add a strong flavor. You can also make fritters (pakora) by coating the flowers with a spicy batter!

Nettle is my favorite ferine by far. Although it has not (yet!) pushed into my garden, it has occupied my neighbor’s compost, and provided us many mouth-watering meals! Use it like spinach.

For a reason, yoga philosophy compares unfavorable qualities to weeds. The heart is the seat of consciousness and sacred matters. As soon as it fills with ulterior motives, the natural upliftment of spirit is hindered. Therefore, sad-vargah or the six enemies of the mind – lust, greed, anger, envy, fear and delusion – are to be nipped at the earliest stage. They are interrelated and arise from a contact with lower modes of nature – passion and ignorance – through contemplation and activities, and entangle the soul in the intricacies of karma and the cycle of birth and death, samsara, making us both, disinterested and indifferent to enlightenment.

When the seed leaves are young, it is difficult to tell if a plant is genuine or spurious. You have to let it grow and exhibit clear marks of botanic classification before uprooting it. Sometimes you have to dig very deep in order to track the starting point; many times it is impossible to find the origin. You can't cheat by pinching the foliage off and leaving the underground core untouched because, sooner or later, it will develop a new stem and leaves. In fact, the base problem becomes even more aggressive and arrogant, stealing nutrients and space from legitimate creepers. Weeds take away and turn against the real interest of the soul, although they may play a productive role in pursuing materialistic values in their natural habitat.

Working in the field is heavy. Having done non-physical activities for the past year and a half, I welcome muscle pain and exhaustion. It triggers solid sleep and healthy appetite. Contrary to my assumption, it has made me eat lighter and less. I crave for fruits, juices and salads; rice, dal and vegetable dishes appear too sumptuous. One meal a day seems enough. In the afternoon I may roll parathas or make other pastries.

This spontaneous recipe for vegetable tarts expresses the garden spirit. You can make the crusts beforehand and top them just before serving. Use any vegetables available.

Thank you.

Ekadasi Cake

Those who follow a discipline, sadhana, designed to realize one’s ideal in the bhakti-tradition, observe a fast from grains, pulses and certain spices every eleventh day of the bright and dark fortnight of the moon. Ekadasi tithi is the day of Sri Vishnu and stands for an intensified spiritual practice. Sadhus or saintly persons of higher order often uptake a voluntary vow, vrata, beginning at the dawn of the preceding day and ending in the sunset of the day following ekadasi, during which they minimize bodily demands in favor of enlightenment. The commitment advocates increased devotional activities like meditation; studying Srimad Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Ramayana and other Puranas aiming at redeeming the perception of life; and singing lyrical expressions of love for the Divine, kirtan or bhajan, throughout the ekadasi night. Devotees sometimes make a bold statement of mauna, a promise of silence, by avoiding idle and unbeneficial words.

Many of today’s sadhakas or sadhu-aspirants live and work in the secular society that rarely accepts or endorses the interests of a modern yogi. We lack the luxury of taking three days off every few weeks to carry out self-control of such precision, but constantly balance our lifestyle and worldly obligations without compromising the goal. Thankfully, ekadasi is auspicious whether performed elaborately or simply. In fact, it is said to be fortunate even if adhered to unknowingly or accidentally by abstaining from grains.

The origin of ekadasi is discussed by the sages Vedavyasa and Jaimini in Padma Purana. If you are not familiar with the puranic literature, note that it approaches the philosophical themes of Upanishads from a personal point of view, depicting them as a part of interaction and relationships, rather than intellectual enigmas. This story, like many others, is a classic account of good and evil, personified by a beautiful goddess, Sri Ekadasi, whom Sri Vishnu manifested, out of compassion, to relieve the suffering of those who violate the laws of nature and fall in the hands of the embodiment of sin, Papa-purusha.

Left invalidated and unemployed because of Sri Ekadasi’s blessings upon the wrongdoers, Papa-purusha sobbingly begged Sri Vishnu to restore his control over those who are apt to negative karma. Being fair to all creatures, Sri Vishnu permitted him to enter food every eleventh phase of the waxing and waning moon, on ekadasi tithi, and instill destructive sensual desires in whoever eats grains on those days. It is said that all disharmony and imbalance of the material world take refuge in rice, wheat, corn, beans, peas, mustard seeds and other heavy foods on ekadasi.

Bhakti-yogis are not driven by the fear of karmic implications per se but see ekadasi as an opportunity to come closer to the Transcendence. Fasting pacifies the connective line between the tongue, belly and genitals, and helps the body to respite from dietary irregularities while releasing energy to subtle, conscious processes that nourish the soul’s thirst and hunger for self-realization. When the moon is quarterly full or dark, it gravitates very mildly and its rays sooth the nerves and feelings of the heart; when the mental tides are calm, it is easier to contemplate.

Cakes may not typically be on the menu during the fasting days but sometimes the situation calls for a sweet treat. Being gluten-free, the recipe serves guests with sensitivity to wheat on any occasion.

I have used milk-powder that has 26 % fat. I can’t confirm whether any other type of milk-powder will yield as good result. Be aware that the cake becomes dry if over-baked; keep it in the oven only as long as it takes to become firm. The exact duration depends on the height and width of the form. A regular 25 cm / 10” tin cooks in 170 C / 338 F for 30 to 40 minutes; cupcakes are ready much quicker. Insert a toothpick to determine a proper consistency. If you want to make a layered cake, it may be a good idea to bake each layer separately.

Due to the content of potato starch, this cake is delicate and somewhat sand-like. It is best eaten soon after baking.

Terry, if you are reading this: I will take up the subject of coping with a loss in another post soon. Thank you again for suggesting it.

Almond Butter

The first day of school after the summer vacation was always somewhat bewildering. Each time, it arrived abruptly but was, nonetheless, one of the highlights of the year. It was wonderful to reunite with familiar faces that looked bright and excited, and the prospect of making new friends motivated more than the academic challenges that were inevitably ahead. Books and classrooms had the scent of potential; everything was possible. New garments and sharp pencils appeared to empower everyone to reform and succeed.

I feel the same way now, while uploading this post, except that the gap between the previous semester and today was far longer than a regular summer break. My sabbatical from blogging was filled by a military style schedule and duty, and it wasn’t until last week I was able to make a short trip to Southern Europe and fully relax. In the pictures, the Atlantic Ocean lashes the shores of Spain.

When I was an exchange student in Chicago eons ago, peanut butter sandwiches were a lunch-box staple at school. I don’t think it is as popular anywhere else as in America. Almond butter is nutritionally similar but has nominally less saturated fats and a bit more calcium and iron. It is also a better source of vitamin E and magnesium. Perhaps the biggest difference is that peanuts are often over cropped and susceptible to fungi called aflatoxins, which gnaw the immune system. If not organic, peanuts are likely pumped with pesticides.

The benefit of making your own nut-butter is that you can regulate the sugar intake and additives. Use honey, maple or agave syrup to sweeten it, and a pinch of Himalayan salt for a balance. Almond butter is so thick that you can roll sweet balls from it and coat them with carob or chocolate. Plain, you can add it to the salad dressing, smoothies, soups and baking. For a stronger taste, toast the almonds with skins.

The first day of school would be a fiasco if I had to do all the talking. Instead, I would like to know how you are doing. What are your recent realizations, hopes and needs? What is new in the blogging sphere? How can I serve you?

Thank you.

Apple Tart

Do you remember I wrote about cāturmāsa in September? A week ago, on Monday, the smiling face of full Moon marked the beginning of its final quarter, the month of kārtika, which is especially dear to bhakti-yogis for belonging to Śrīmatī Rādhārānī, Śrī Krishna’s feminine energy. It cases the most intimate pastimes in Vrindavan, the forest village of tulasī tree. Among millions, I’ve taken a vow, in addition to my regular practices, to wake up early, bath in cold water, offer a ghee lamp and sing a compilation of eight stanzas, Śrī Dāmodarāṣtaka, from Padma Purana that reminds of the essence of life.

The austerity of taking an icy shower has a deeper impact than I’d like to think. As unpleasant as it may feel, it is vitalizing. A warm shower cleanses the body but a cold one purifies the subtle self – the mind, intelligence and ego. It removes the mental plaque of hankering and lamenting, and brings the mind, in a shocking fashion, to ‘now’, which is a prerequisite for meditation. It is a sacred act, along with applying auspicious clay markings, tilak, on the sensitive points like the heart, throat, forehead and crown, and dressing in clean clothes. Such routines transform the body into a temple and align it with environments and activities of compatible nature.

One and a half hour before sunrise is known as brahma-muhurta, a period more advantageous for yogic processes than any other. Wagtails, swifts and nightingales softly tune their vocal instruments at such hour during the summer, but now, due to the frosty season, they are composing lyrics in a warmer location, perhaps in Southern Europe or Africa. Only sounds heard in our home are the tapping of a clock on the wall – tick tack, tick tack – and an occasional shuffle on a highway, two kilometres away.

Gradually, the silence is overridden by a brass bell and Sanskrit invocations. When a hint of camphor climbs a column of smoke at the burning tip of an incense stick and blossoms with the sweet aroma of ghee, I’m already sitting on a woollen mat on the floor and reciting maha-mantra, a thirty-two syllable prayer from Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad. It’s the recommended method of self-realization for the present Age. Unlike most of the Vedic mantras, it’s an open one available for everyone regardless of a prior qualification, gender, race, nationality, religion or language. Because there are no hard and fast rules in chanting it, it won’t produce an ill result even if pronounced incorrectly, jokingly or without comprehending the meaning.

hare krishna hare krishna
krishna krishna hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare

It’s the only sound I live to hear in the darkness of each morning. Habitually, the mind is restless and wanders around, but I pull it back as often as it tries to treat the mantra as elevator music on the background of my worldly thoughts and desires. The sound vibration is the most valuable gift I’ve been given in this lifetime. It is a relationship in which I am an eternal, individually conscious soul with a temperament of devotional service, instead of being a sack of bones, mucus, blood, senses, moods, cravings, intellect, social status or any other designation I’ve been so eager, for lifetimes, to be recognized by. It is the base, path and destination of love. Sometimes I’m able to immerse in it more profoundly than other. In the phases of enlightenment, like kārtika, it is easier.

The idea of contemplation, study of philosophy, asceticism and taking commitments that are directly linked to Divinity, is to revive a consistent and genuine state of consciousness which defines my culture and lifestyle. It is like charging batteries by being connected to the source of energy. The sense of identity, knowledge and bliss generated, establishes the platform from which I act and make choices at every moment, whether physical, ethical, emotional, social, intellectual or transcendental. It allows a greater freedom from the conditioned nature and lower modes of passion and ignorance.

Cooking, like breathing and the rest of activities we do, is karma which is often misunderstood to mean a punishment or retribution, although it refers to any deed – the universal principle of causality – done either according to or against nature by all living entities. Akarma, which is ascribed to yoga, refers to inaction. It is work executed through the senses, just like karma, but in proper knowledge. It doesn’t accumulate material reaction or entanglement in the cycle of birth and death, samsara. Developing an understanding of one’s involvement and liberation from the karmic network is a privilege and responsibility of a sentient being.

When we speak of cooking, much is said about the sensual,moral and social experience. However, it’s rare to hear a discussion about our relationship with food on higher levels of consciousness. We spend a lot of time thinking about, shopping and preparing eatables according to our values and view of life. Cooking, dining, serving and sharing meals have more potential than commonly given.

When I started practicing bhakti-yoga, I had been a vegetarian for many years. Yet, I had never tasted anything like the food I was served in the temple I visited for the first time. It clarified my thoughts and made me utterly ecstatic. It carried the awareness of the person who had cooked it and, instantly, elevated me from the mental disposition I was at. It was a spiritual revelation. I learnt an attitude or focus while baking, boiling and roasting is the core element that deserves the same level of purity than personal hygiene, ingredients, utensils, location, association, methods and techniques used.

What’s in the heart will be on the plate. Food that comes from the yearning of a soul to exchange affection and serve other living entities and God nourishes our eternal needs, whereas food created by ego, no matter how expertly done, only satisfies the physical and, at best, the metaphysical body. The first will make us blissful and free from further material implications and negative psychic traits, whereas the latter will increase our blindness. There is a gulf of difference in the intensity of happiness and satisfaction derived on a sensual, communal or spiritual realm.

Although a plant-based diet is more compassionate than meat-eating, it is not free from karmic reactions. Sometimes harvesting, storing, transporting and preparing grains or vegetables involve intentional or unintentional violence and, even, killing of other living beings. Therefore, Veda, the authority on yoga and reincarnation, recommends sanctifying food. It involves recognizing one’s interdependent position in the universal organism and respecting all forms of life. For thousands of years, kitchen yogis have been cultivating attributes like equal vision, peacefulness, self-control, cleanliness, humility, truthfulness, tolerance, wisdom and sense of duty in the loving dedication to para-brahman, Krishna, for the immortality of everyone, the savoured and those who savour. Following in their footsteps, I have baked this apple tart.

Thank you.