Thank God For Yoga

My name is Talya and this is my blog. Sometimes I wonder if the contribution I make to the world is really enough. Is it really enough to show up at the local gym and teach people how to correctly position their shoulders over their wrists? Is it enough to teach cooking classes and turn people onto Ume Plum Vinegar and Green Superfoods? Am I good enough? Rejection does this. It makes me ask if I’m loveable, if I’m worthy, if I’m even really here. So… am I?

I took a walk on West Cliff Drive today with a woman I love and admire. She assured me that, yes, I am here. And she reminded me of the power of being your own best friend. Of looking these feelings in the eyes (grief, anger, devastation, hurt, sadness, vengeance, jealousy… the dark side, essentially) and saying: “That’s right, girl. That’s how you are feeling right now! You have every right to feel that way!” And you don’t have to make up a story about why you feel it. You can just let it be.

Love yourself.
Feel it.
Love yourself.
Feel it.
Maybe take a nap.
Go to yoga again.
Allow your super-awesome friend to bring you soup and watch you eat it.
Make raw brownies.
Feel it.
Love yourself.

Martha Graham says, “the body never lies”. Its core essence only wants to communicate truth to you – through you – the truth of how beautiful you are in your humanness. So… I’ll just be real. I lost something I really loved. There’s part of me that wants to be a victim, but there’s a bigger part of me that wants to heal this… And so I will. I’m learning to let go. I’m learning to trust that the Universe loves me, that God knows me better than I know myself and that – gosh darnit – people like me (and God LOVES me). So, now… I’m going to do the sensible thing and make Sweet Potato Fries with Raw Ranch Dressing for lunch. It’s the loving (and super delicious) thing to do. Take that, ex-boyfriend!!!!

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
2 medium/large sweet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 4 inch long, 1/2 inch thick fries
2 to 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil or ghee (or olive oil if that’s all you have around)
1 teaspoon coarse ground Himalayan salt or Celtic sea salt or Real Salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon coconut sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon whole coriander seed (optional)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, salt, cumin, sugar and coriander so the fries are well coated.
Spread a single layer of fries out onto a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Turn the fries over, maybe move them to the top rack in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the fries are golden brown and slightly crisp. Serve with Raw Ranch Dressing.

Raw Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soaked raw cashews
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup chopped fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed (optional)

Directions:
Place everything in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add an extra tablespoon of water if the sauce is too thick. Serve with Sweet Potato Fries.

Let’s see if you can listen to the Talya’s Kitchen Jingle… (does it work?)

World, please stay tuned… I promise there is more to come soon (including a cooking class in the South Bay Area on May 21st and an 8 Day Cleanse in Santa Cruz that begins on May 13th with me and Dr. Tonya Fleck D’Andrea.) Want to play? Sign up for my newsletter and you’ll get all the juicy details.

Happiness for spring's warm arrival

Love, Talya

Ghee is considered one of the “super-foods” of Ayurvedic nutrition. Overflowing with abundant health benefits, ghee, also known as clarified butter, is clean, sweet and light to the taste. It is one of the most beneficial forms of fat for the body and when taken with medicinal herbs, ghee helps transport an herb’s nutritional properties to all seven tissue layers of the body.

Click on the images below to follow along:

This recipe is featured in Public Television Station KTEH’s “KTEH COOKS WITH GARLIC” Cookbook! To purchase Talya’s Kitchen Ayurvedic Cookbook click here.

Allow 15 – 20 minutes preparation time.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Raw Cashew Pieces
• 1 ½ Cups Cold Water
• 1 ½ Tbs. Raw Garlic, Peeled & Minced (about 4 cloves)
• 1 Tbs. Miso Paste
• 2 Tbs. Very Hot Water
• 1 Tbs. Fresh Lemon Juice
• ½ tsp. Mineralized Salt
• ¼ tsp. Coriander Powder
• ¼ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Coconut Oil
• 1 tsp. Dried Dill Weed
• 2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary (optional)
• 1/8 Cup Fresh or Dried Pomegranate Seeds (optional)

*Variation…

For a thicker sauce, or to use this recipe as a vegan spread, reduce Cold Water to 1 Cup and reduce Miso Paste by ½ Tbs.  When serving this sauce over the holidays (for extreme beauty and delight), garnish with Fresh Rosemary and Fresh Pomegranate Seeds.  So Delicious!

Directions:

To make the Cashew Cream… Place Cashews and Cold Water in a blender.  Process on high speed for 1 minute.  Pause and scrape down the sides with a soft spatula.  Process for another full minute – until your Cashew Cream sauce is smooth.  Set aside.

Peel and finely mince garlic cloves.  Set aside.

In a small glass or ceramic bowl, combine Miso paste with Hot water (recently boiled water is fine) until the miso paste has dissolved.  Add Lemon Juice, Salt & Coriander Pepper.  Stir again and set aside.

Place Coconut Oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1 Tbs. of Raw Garlic into the pan and sautee for one minute.  The garlic will feel a little sticky but that’s O.K.  Add the Miso mixture and the Cashew Cream. Stir well. Lower heat to simmer and stir for another 2 – 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in remaining garlic, dill and… Voila!