Tag Archives: sweetpotatoes

the weekend nurture menu: is the grass always greener?

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[As always, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free!]

Often, the grass seems greener on the other side…When you’re bored, you wish you had purpose. When you’re incredibly busy, you wish you had time to be bored. Perhaps you look at someone and yearn for her life absent of your problems, but inevitably that person’s life comes with another host of issues. The point being that, in theory, you’re never absent of something to complain about.

Now, I’m not saying that life is miserable. I’m saying that while we cruise along in life or make our way through a transition, how you appreciate what life has given could transform the time or you in the process. Some of the most horrific ordeals have befallen the graceful and the graceful still retain their grace. Instead of wishing yourself out of something, regardless of the situation’s magnitude, can you retain your grace throughout?

Have you ever watched yourself move through your day? Take a step back and just watch. Often we spend so much time looking at other lives or wishing we could get to the other side of the fence, that we miss the green grass that surrounds us.

Yes, be in the moment, but then go deeper. Nurture where you are in your life by sinking into the difficulties, the triumphs, the blessings, and the curses, for that is what creates a life worth your own envy.

I could find countless blessings and curses in my life. I’m not going to list them, nor am I going to run from them. I am going to nurture myself and the grass that I’m walking through. Despite office chaos, these sweet potato and quinoa patties over baby kale and avocado allow me to step back and sink to my life. I am able to dwell in the simple joy of everything that surrounds me.

sweet potato and quinoa patties
about 14-16 patties

  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1¾ cups quinoa
  • 3 cups of water
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″ chunks
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ cup oat flour
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.
  2. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, saute onion, optional garlic, and carrots in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add quinoa, water and paprika.
  3. Cover, bring to a boil and then reduce to med-low. Simmer for 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
  4. Steam sweet potato chunks for 4-6 minutes, until softened. In a large mixing bowl, mash sweet potatoes with fork or potato masher.
  5. Add cooked quinoa mixture to the sweet potato and mix together. Add lightly beaten eggs and breadcrumbs.
  6. Stir mixture until thoroughly combined. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, until cool enough to handle.
  7. Form mixture into hockey puck sized patties by hand and place on the cookie sheet.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes after baking. Serve warm or cold!

[adapted from generationyfoodie.com]

american pastime…

Ever wished you lived in another country? That grass isn’t much greener unless the national cookie is chocolate chip. Another reason to not just appreciate where you are (assuming you’re in the U.S.), but dive in deeper.

chocolate chip cookies
about 20 cookies

  • ⅔ cup coconut flour
  • ⅓ cup arrowroot starch
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅓ cup coconut palm sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 whole eggs or 2 flax mixture (3 tbsp flax meal with 6 tbsp water, let sit for 10 minutes)
  • ⅓ cup chocolate chips
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, liquid
  • 4 tablespoons coconut butter, softened (or vegan butter)
  • 3-4 tablespoons water
  1. Have all ingredients out to room temperature.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. In a large bowl, place all your dry ingredients. Stir. Add in your chocolate chips and mix.
  4. Next add in your liquid coconut butter, coconut oil, and eggs or flax mixture. Stir.
  5. Add in water until you get the batter to start holding together. It will be on the thick side.
  6. Scoop onto cookie sheets then flatten with your fingers. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Cool before removing from cookie sheets.

[adapted from purelytwins.com]

“The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.” ~Robert Fulghum

xo, S

the weekend nurture menu: is it selfish to focus on the self?

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[As always, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free!]

A friend approached me last week asking for advice on relationships, eating, and her overall quality of life. I told her that once she loves herself in abundance, those issues will fall away. Her response: “Isn’t loving myself that much selfish?”

Our western, modern culture trains us with a paradox of individualism juxtaposed with selflessness. In other words, we are taught the American dream, fighting our way to individual success, yet we’re chastised along the way for being selfish.

This is the battle of ego–”You’re not good enough” vs. “You’re focusing too much on yourself.” Notably, ego and arrogance isn’t just about being full of yourself. It also refers to self-hate. You hate yourself for not being this perfect image, but you won’t allow yourself to indulge in the means to discover your perfection.

Here’s a better question: why do you deserve your love? My mentor, life coach, and friend, Richard Butler, signs everything he writes with the answer:

YOU MATTER.

That’s it. You matter. You deserve happiness. You deserve indulgence. You deserve love. You can’t blame anyone else for not giving you those things when you can’t give them to yourself. When you live from a place of self-love, you can give from abundance and not from depletion. Suddenly, you are way more selfless by being selfish.

This weekend’s menu combines foods that embody this type of love… a creamy, sweet-and-salty soup AND chocolate cake. Yes, chocolate cake.

sweet potato, coconut milk, and peanut soup
serves 4

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 3 medium onions diced, about 3 cups
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 13-ounce can “lite” coconut milk
  • ¾ cup unsalted roasted peanuts
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • Chopped cilantro, chopped peanuts, and chili sauce or Sriracha for garnish
  1. Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often until the onion is starting to soften and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add celery, broth, sweet potato and salt, increase heat to high, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, removing lid to stir occasionally, until the potatoes are very soft and fall apart when tested with a fork or tongs, about 15 minutes.
  2. Puree about half of the soup in a blender in two batches and add back to the pot. Puree the coconut milk and peanuts in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir the coconut mixture and the lime juice into the soup. Gently stir over low heat to warm through. Do not boil. Serve garnished with cilantro, chopped peanuts and Sriracha to taste. [Try over quinoa or brown rice for a loving, complete meal.]

[adapted from healthyseasonalrecipes.com]

do you love yourself enough to allow this cake indulgence?

Granted, without flour, sugar, or dairy, this chocolate cake isn’t so rich and decadent. It is delicious and nourishing! When you give yourself permission to indulge–out of love–a piece or two will satisfy that craving.

chocolate cake
serves 6-8

  • 2 cups fresh medjool dates, pitted
  • 1 cup raw almonds or hazelnuts, soaked
  • 1 bar 80% dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 6 organic eggs
  • 1 lemon or orange, juice and zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or ground vanilla
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, melted
  • 1 handful fresh berries or thawed frozen
  1. Set the oven at 340F. Spray spring form pan with oil or cover cake pan with wax paper.
  2. Mix the dates and nuts in a blender and place the mixture in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients an stir around with a large spoon for about a minute. Pour the batter in a cake tin.
  3. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Serve with love and berries.

[adapted from greenkitchenstories.com]

You’re not selfish for loving yourself. You deserve your love.

YOU MATTER.

xo, S

the weekend nurture menu: not enough time? make time expand!

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[As always, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free!]

No time. I know. There are never enough hours in the day. What if you can make time expand?

In Gabrielle Bernstein’s Ted Talk, she explains her struggle with only eighteen minutes to do this Ted Talk. Her fear was overwhelming, then, in her words, her inner guide said, “Speak your truth and time will expand.” She proceeded to erase her outline, let go of the time frame, and speak her truth. When she spoke from an authentic place, time expanded.

This is possible for you.

What would you do if you had more time? Where is your energy going? Yes, we spend countless hours at work, commuting, doing dishes, etc. If you choose to make those things, however menial, part of your truth, when you focus your energy there, time will expand. In the other hours of the day, take energy away from things that drain you. Ask: is going for a run authentic or am I doing it to change myself? Is watching TV depleting me or energizing me?

When I have moments of panic, thinking I’ve over-committed myself, I ask a truly difficult question, where will I find time to bake cookies for the nurture menu? Though this is meant as a joke, things that give me pleasure, like baking cookies, cannot be lost in the mix. Instead, I clarify my truth. I focus my energy on the things that add to my life. Believe it or not, time expands.

Among the crazy moments this weekend, spending time with loved ones, practicing and teaching yoga, and finding my way around a new area of law, I cooked and baked. Time expanded. Part of my truth is experiencing joy from cooking and feeling nourished from my creations– I discovered more hours in day.

This weekend’s simplistic, easy meal is ideal for anyone on the go and looking for expanding time. Every element–rice, beans, seaweed, and vegetables–combine for optimal health, then you top it with divine dressing and you have a exciting feast. Inspired by my favorite New York City restaurant, Souen, when you put this macrobiotic meal in a to-go box you have the healthiest possible lunch!

the macro plate
serves 4

  • 2 cups rice, cooked (I used black rice here. Quinoa, short grain brown, or a combo of anything are great. Creativity!)
  • 2 cups beans, soaked overnight and cooked or one 15oz. can
  • head of kale
  • head of broccoli
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • package of hijiki or arame seaweed
  • carrot-ginger dressing
  • miso-tahini dressing, see below
  1. Prepare the rice and beans. Set aside.
  2. Soak the seaweed. Set aside.
  3. Chop all of the vegetables and steam until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
  4. While the vegetables are steaming, prepare the dressings.
  5. Combine elements. Eat and live well.

miso-tahini dressing

  • 3 tablespoons sweet white miso paste
  • 1/2-1 cup water
  • 2-3 tablespoons tahini
  1. Mix miso and and water with fork until miso is mostly dissolved.
  2. Add tahini and mix.

keep going–sweetly…

Expanding time, without wasting time. There is no better dessert/snack that embodies this concept than healthy cookies. Is there a better to-go treat? Plus, watching these cookies come together brings back my baking joy.

strawberry shortcake cookies

  • 1 pound of strawberries, de-stemmed, cored and sliced thin
  • 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup, grade B, or honey
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
  2. Rinse and clean 1 pound of strawberries. Remove the stems and cores, and slice thinly. In a thick bottomed pan, melt 1 tablespoon coconut oil, add the strawberries. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat until simmering. Stir regularly. Simmer at low heat reducing strawberries until they measure 1/2 cup. It will take about 50 minutes. Cool strawberry jam thoroughly before proceeding to the next step.
  3. Sift coconut flour and pack into 1/2 cup measurement. Place into a bowl, along with remaining coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla. Blend. Allow cookie dough to rest for 5 minutes to allow coconut flour to absorb the liquids. The cookie dough will be very soft.
  4. Place cooled strawberry jam in with the cookie dough and lightly stir.
  5. Drop tablespoons onto the cookie sheet. Lightly pat and tap the cookie dough into a round shape.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes. Cookies will lose their shiny look when done, and will feel firm to the touch.
  7. Let the cookie melt in your mouth.

[adapted from freecoconutrecipes.com]

Where you put your energy, time will expand. Put your energy on your truth and time is in your control.

xo, S