Weekend retreat ๐
But now I am back in New York. A cross country road trip, a meditation retreat, a yoga teacher training, and a Euro trip later, I am back in my hometown ... for a couple of weeks until I fly to the motherland for a trip with my grandmother.
We got a lot of catching up to do, but I'm going to start with this past weekend in upstate NY. I spent it with some Bodhi Friends on a retreat, planning some retreat things. It took a lot of focus, a lot of cooperation, and used up all my brain power. So good thing I was the designated chef to keep all of us nourished and our bodies running.
After going through the initial plans for this retreat, I designed a menu and 2 day yoga flow inspired by Asian American empowerment - an apparent motif throughout the weekend. I wanted the meals to be easy to prepare, delicious, and vegetarian ... I expected to attend as much of the meetings as possible, so minimizing time in the kitchen was a factor.
I did most of my shopping in Chinatown. Fresh fruits and vegetables are guaranteed affordable and plentiful, and tofu and dumpling specialty shops are necessary. I also made a big stop at May Wah Vegetarian Market, where they sell a variety of vegan dim sum and buns. I did a final ingredients stop at Fairway hoping for some vegan sausage to spice up my Zatarain's brown rice jambalaya, but I decided on BBQ jackfruit to go with whole wheat challah rolls. And waffle mix. All the beautiful eggs you see in the photos? Courtesy of our Airbnb hosts that are raising chickens (and a wild pack of guinea fowl).
It was both fun and challenging feeding 6 people healthily for a weekend. I was so grateful for the opportunity and the support I received. Truly, as always, the most gratifying part of the meal is seeing everyone enjoy all the bounty in front of them.
Below I have a few select recipes that were made from scratch and photos from our post retreat apple picking adventure. Enjoy the veggie recipes, and may your autumn be filled with spicy* gatherings!
*I recommend always having multiple hot sauces available for catering - this weekend was made possible by a very spicy Thai Chiu Chow style chili oil and Sriracha
1 lb leafy green stemmed vegetables**
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake or clear cooking wine of choice
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp sugar
1. Heat oil over medium high heat in large pan / skillet / wok
2. Brown garlic and red onion
3. Add leafy greens and stir fry until color turns a bright green
4. Add soy sauce, sake, and sugar. Stir fry until desired texture of vegetable
5. Turn off heat, top with sesame oil
** I used this recipe with bok choy and yu choy, all varieties of kale or spinach work as well
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Black sesame almond butter (serves 8)
2 cups almonds
1/2 cup black sesame powder
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp Salt
1. Place almonds, black sesame powder, and olive oil in food processor. Blend until smooth
2. Add more olive oil by the tsp for a smoother consistency, adjust maple syrup and salt as desired
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Cherry tomato omelet (serves 4)
6 eggs
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 scallion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch Cajun spice
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch turmeric
1. Beat eggs with Cajun spice, black pepper, and tumeric
2. In a large pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat and brown red onion and whites of scallion
3. Add cherry tomatoes
4. Once cherry tomatoes are blistered, pour egg batter onto pan and fry until edges are brown / crispy
5. Using a skillet, divide omelet into quarters / halves to flip. After a quick sear, transfer omelet onto plate
6. Top with scallion greens
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Coconut chia pudding (serves 12)
1 cup chia seeds
16 oz coconut milk
4 cups water
3 tbsp maple syrup
1. Mix all ingredients in a large container, allow to sit over night*** in the refrigerator
2. Add more water if pudding is too thick, mix well
Optional (but highly recommended) toppings: cacao nibs, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, hemp seeds, mixed fruit
*** I let mine sit for more than 12 hrs until it reached my desired consistency. I recommend at least 6-8 hrs.
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Cold tofu (serves 4)
1 block silken tofu
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 scallion, chopped
6 slices dried seaweed, chopped
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1. Gently slice silken tofu into bite size cubes
2. Top with soy sauce and sesame oil
3. Sprinkle on seaweed, sesame seeds, and scallions
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Roasted veggies with sesame soy glaze (serves 6)
1 lb fresh shiitake mushrooms
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake or clear cooking wine
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
2 tsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Spread all vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, red onion) onto a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes
3. In the meantime, mix together soy sauce, cooking wine, honey, and sesame seeds
4. At 30 min, remove veggies from the oven and pour sesame soy glaze over veggies, return veggies into the oven for an addition 10-15 minutes or until desired texture
5. Top with sesame oil
I was extra with this recipe and also mixed in roasted sliced kabocha squash seasoned with salt and black pepper, which took about 50 minutes at 375F.
