Persian lamb leg cooked in my slow-cooked, along with saffron and many other fragrant spices.

It’s a Persian-spiced boneless leg of lamb on a bed of basmati rice. Saffron enhances both the lamb and the rice. This would make a perfect New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day dish. It’s luxurious, festive, and fragrant. Plus, quite easy to prepare.  Only a few minutes of hands-on work, then the slowcooker does the rest. Time heals all wounds, and time makes this lamb tender.

It’s a flexible recipe, too. Not a lamb fan? Use a beef pot roast instead. Into lamb but don’t have a boneless leg of lamb? Use shanks instead. In fact, I prefer lamb shanks, simply because the bone imparts so much flavor. But alas, all I had was a boneless leg of lamb, and still, the result was fantastic.  Friends of friends were begging that I send some their way. And I did

Persian Saffron Lamb, Slowcooker Style

Delicious!

•  3-4 pound boneless leg of lamb, or an equal amount of lamb shanks or beef pot roast
• 1 onion
• 2 Tablespoons butter, ghee, or neutral cooking oil of choice
• 2-3 Tablespoons advieh (Persian spice mix) OR pumpkin pie spice (they have similar ingredients).
• 2 Tablespoons ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 Tablespoons saffron water (boil 1/4 cup water to the temperature you’d use to make tea. Add a pinch, approx 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads to the water. Refrigerate un-used portion for future use)
• 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and left whole
• 1 28 ounce can of tomatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove fat from lamb using a sharp knife.

2. Chop onion into half moons. In a large dutch oven. cooking pot,  or skillet, heat fat over a medium heat and add onion, stirring often.

3. Allow onion to cook about five minutes. As it cooks, salt and pepper the outside of the meat. Either remove onion from the pan altogether or put it aside. Place meat in the pot and sear it for 2-3 minutes per side…enough to get a nice crust on it. Remove meat from the pan and place, carefully, on a heat-safe surface.

4. Place onion back in the pan and add all spices EXCEPT saffron. Stir often, and cook for about 30 seconds, or until you begin to catch the scent of the spices. Put onion into slow cooker immediately.

5. Cut a few slits deep into the meat and insert the garlic cloves. Make sure the cloves are spaced evenly throughout the meat.  (Don’t worry about losing moisture from doing this…the slow cooking method will keep the meat plenty moist).

6. To the slow cooker, add the lamb, canned tomatoes, saffron water, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper (you can always adjust salt and pepper later).

7. Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours. I cooked mine for 8 hours, overnight. Once the meat is done, taste sauce, adjust seasoning accordingly, serve over rice, and enjoy!

Persian spiced saffron pecans are easy to make and make delicious holiday gifts.

I apologize right now for the “spoiler,” because some of ya’ll who read this are getting these as part of your Christmas package. (Sorry, Dad, but you’re just so challenging to buy for!) If anything, after seeing this post, maybe they’ll be looking forward to their nuts.

A nice change of pace from the Yoga pants and ponytail. Tribeca, NYC, December 2011.

Anyways, I’m about done with holiday gifting. I deliberately keep my gifting list short, and am a big believer in showing appreciation and affection to friends and fam throughout the year. I do have a couple of post office runs to make to mail off gifts, and some of you know how I feel about those. Yeesh!

Things have been busy on the part-ay front as well. I’ve already been to like 4 holiday parties, with more to come. Admittedly, it’s kinda exhausting, but fun. And hey, any excuse to trade in the Yoga pants for a cocktail dress and 6-inch heels? I’m there, honey! Sometimes with bells on, literally. Jingle-ling-a-ling! 

Ok, let’s get it on with these nuts. (Sorry, I’m so incredibly mature…you didn’t think we were gonna get outta here without a nut pun, a Dr. Dre reference, AND an Marvin Gaye shout-out,  now did you?)

Saffron Spiced Roasted Pecans

Recipe an adaptation of one by Dorie Greenspan, from Around My French Table. Easily doubles, triples, and so on. . . .

•  1 egg white
• 2 Tablespoons of honey, agave, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, etc. (You choose; I used honey)
• 2 cups whole pecans
• 1 Tablespoon saffron water (to make, just put a pinch of saffron thread in 1/4 cup hot, not boiling water. Jar and fridge the unused portion)
• 2 Tablespoons advieh (Persian spice mix) OR pumpkin pie spice (they have similar ingredients).
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.  As oven heats, in a mixing bowl, run a whisk through the egg white a few times.

2. Add in honey (or sub), salt,  and spices. Whisk some more until well blended.

3. Fold in the nuts and mix to coat well with spice mixture.

4. Line your baking sheets (I used 2) with foil, and then pour nuts and any liquid into a single layer on each sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, checking for crispness at 20 minutes. If you need to bake more, do another 5 minutes. I’ve never had to bake these for more than 25 minutes.

5. Remove from oven. Let cool slightly, then carefully remove from foil. Let cool more, then bag them up in cute gift baggies.

Nutella cakes are easy to throw together.

My first memories of Nutella are from way back when, during my first semester at Columbia. That’s when I first tasted this hazelnut and chocolate blend of European origin. I’ve loved it ever since. Somehow, it brings back memories of my time at alma mater. For a lot of people, Nutella is the taste of childhood memories. For me, the taste reminds me of truly feeling like adult. On my own, in a strange city, thousands of miles from family, and being fine. Happy even.

Alma mater.

It also reminds me of one the only phases in my life during which my fridge wasn’t packed. A bit of context: I’ve never truly been That Girl with a sparsely packed fridge. (What a blessing, to have this problem). Anyways, if anything, I’m That Other Girl with both a fridge and freezer that are packed. Packed, I say. To the point that my current freezer appeared to not be working some months back. So I called my super. And he called a repairman. My landlord paid the guy to come out and tell me (wait for it). . .

. . .that my freezer was too packed, and it’d start working again swimmingly if I just got rid of some stuff, already.

Oh dear.  I’m sure my psychologist friend and I could have a field day with analyzing why I do this to my appliances.

Turns out the repairman was right. But I consoled myself by telling myself that my lack of common sense had kept this guy working, at least for part of one day. My own personal contribution to the economy, and during a recession, no less!

Anyways, the point here being that my time at Columbia was about the only time that I had a fridge that wasn’t jammed to the max. I’m not sure exactly why (again, my shrink friend could probably be of help here. . .)

The edibles I did have on hand,  were of the highest quality (for a student).  In no particular order, most all of it purchased from Westside Supermarket:

• Nutella (yes, I kept it in the fridge. No I am not THAT dumb. I just wanted to prevent myself from gobbling tons of it at room temp, because, admit it, it tastes better at room temp).
• Smoked gouda cheese (HAD to be smoked!)
• Almonds (usually smoked)
• Bagged spinach
• Alcohol (wine and vodka, mostly)
• Lindor truffles by Lindt (this was back before they were available at a Wal-Mart near you)
• A roasted chicken (sometimes)
• Bread (kept in the fridge to prevent it from molding)
• Apples
• And yes, I had a tendency to “fridge” things that really shouldn’t be “fridged.” I’ve learned. I think.

My friend dubbed these PMS cakes.

But mostly I lived off of cheese, almonds, and spoonfuls of Nutella. And I drank quite a few meals, I must say. Ahem.

I certainly wasn’t ambitious enough to throw together mini-nutella cakes back during my Columbia Daze, which is too bad, because they’re so simple. The cakes, not the Columbia Daze. Gluten-free wasn’t a buzzword back in those days, either, but hey, we’ve all moved on, haven’t we? I know I have…I’ve evolved enough that the meal I drink most nowadays is a green smoothie for breakfast. And I now realize one can eat Nutella in ways that don’t involve licking it off the spoon. At least sometimes. Ahem…

No ramekins? No problem. Use small, oven-safe coffee cups or bowls.

Nutella Cakes (Gluten Free, Kinda High in Protein)

Yield: 3 to 4 small cakes. Depends on the size of your ramekins or whatever small, oven-safe bowl you bake them in. Recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc.

• 1/2 cup coconut flour (could use gluten free flour of choice, or if GF isn’t a concern, regular flour should work here, too. I like coconut flour because it’s rich, and has a lot of protein and fiber)
• 1/2 cup Nutella (Thank you Costco, for keeping my Nutella costs in line; if vegan is a concern, find a vegan chocolate hazelnut or almond butter)
• Splash of milk of choice (amount can vary…start out with a Tablespoon)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips plus a Tablespoon or two extra

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  As oven heats, in a mixing bowl, combine the flour and milk. Mix lightly until pasty, but still pliable. If too dry, add in a bit more milk.

2. Add in Nutella and stir until combined.

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Spoon mixture into small ramekins (fill them 2/3 to 3/4 full). Top each cake with a few reserved chocolate chips. Bake for 15 minutes. (Check for doneness after 10-12 minutes, by poking a knife or a fork into center of cakes). Personally, I like my cakes a bit undercooked and gooey, and hey, it’s safe to do that here, because there are no eggs in this recipe.

BRIA’S NOTE: If vegan and/or gluten free are of concern, be sure to double check all your ingredients’ labels. Can bake one at a time. Keep the remaining dough, covered, in the fridge. Load up a ramekin and bake when desired/as needed. Because we all need chocolate sometimes, yes? Plus, the one little dessert at time is a very college-like thing, isn’t it?

Hello again. I hope you’ve all been well. Over here, it’s been a busy fall, and I’ve already dealt with one “near miss” as far as getting sick goes. It was a sore throat that could’ve taken a turn for the worst (worse?–Grammar Police, help me out here). Anyways,  I fought back, and luckily beat it quickly. I’m definitely thankful for that!

I know it might be a bit of a pre-holiday buzzkill to talk about germs and colds right before Thanksgiving, but ya gotta admit that this post is timely. Take these hints with you on any holiday travels as we head into this busy season and beyond. Today I’m bringing in an expert to guest post about this important topic.

My friend Athena is seriously awesome. Athena is a diet coach that has trademarked her own system  Find her at TheAthenaeffect.com . She basically rewires people’s habits for permanent results. Since, according to her, actual “diets” don’t work.  OH! And PLEASE don’t label her! She corrects people who call her a nutritionist. She does have all the certifications, but they can’t compare to the 20-plus years experience.

Did I also mention that she’s a former bodybuilding champ and is into Yoga? Yup, she’s basically kicks ass, and looks great doing it.

Her approach to food and life  is very inspirational, yet very real….and doable. Sustainable. She’s kind, she’s fun, and very smart.

I often go to Athena with health-related questions. She’s saved my behind a couple of times with her advice I promise you that.

So with cold and flu season sadly upon us, I turned to her for some tips on preventing getting bugs in the first place, and what to do if the crud does come knocking.

Speaking of knocking, knock on wood, but I get sick FAR less than I used to, which is minor miracle, considering that as a Yoga teacher, I have direct physical contact with of hundreds of sweaty people every single week. This wasn’t always the case back in my office working days. I’d be sick several times a season, minimum, even though I wasn’t in contact with nearly as many people per day. If anything, I’m at a much higher risk now for catching bugs. But I’m also more vigilant now than I used to be about keeping my immune system humming, using Athena’s methods and some of my own. Now for Athena’s tips. Take it away, Athena:

I’m all about prevention. But then, there’s only so much one can do. Like if some person comes to the gym hacking, there’s a great chance to spread it!

1) MOST importantly!! Wash your hands OFTEN. Any soap, doesn’t matter. Wash them for 15 seconds with soapy warm water. The hands are basically the biggest trigger. We touch the germs, then touch our face. And if we touch either our eyes, nose or mouth, it gets infected, as those are open.

2) If you don’t have a sink with soap and water around, DO carry hand sanitizer and use it often.

3) INSIST your clients/friends/family/associates WASH there hands before they see you and touch you to say hello. Or insist they use the sanitizer. This is NOT a big thing to ask. It’s practicing good habits. All of my clients are trained. They all want to give me a hug when they see me, and that’s totally cool, but I INSIST they wash their hands first! Hey they probably just got off a disgusting subway!! I don’t ask, but its a good assumption.

4) Don’ t Spread it Around, And Speak Up if Others Are: It infuriates me to hear that someone comes to the gym coughing and sick!! Its selfish and stupid. They’re not doing any good for THEM, NOR anybody else. Let’s assume its ignorance as this will at least infuriate us less. But literally last year, people were coming to my favorite Yoga studio sick, hacking and all of it. I was SO pissed off that I talked to my good friend, who is the studio owner, and had her send out a newsletter saying if you are sick: STAY HOME! That it isn’t right to infect other people.

Plus, the truth is, the way the body works once a bug sets in is that the worst thing anyone can do is work out. Your body then uses its energy to recover from the workout instead of using its energy to fend off the bug. Again, ignorance. Or stubbornness. Or both!! But DO go ahead and enlighten them!! You can’t do anything about the way they receive the information. But it’s not your problem.

5) GET a FLU shot. Really. Encourage all your students to do so too. They give them at all pharmacies for about $25. I get 1 every year. It’s not smart not to. Because just think of how much work and money you’ll lose if you get the flu!! It is a 10 days thing. Literally you can’t do anything.

Bria’s Note: I know a lot of people are against vaccinations, for a variety of reasons. Consult with your health care provider and use your judgment in deciding whether or not to get the flu shot. I’ve gotten it some years; other years I’ve skipped it. It’s your call; do your research, then do what’s best for you and your loved ones.

6) Easy Daily Preventatives: As a daily maintenance, I aim to do 3 packs of Emergen-C   daily, but the biggest help really is a product called: “Super Immune” By Quantum Labs. They carry it at Whole Foods. White and green bottle. Not expensive either. (Like $12).They carry a Lysine one too but this one’s superior. Between these, the hand washing and the flu shot it’s all good protection.

Bria’s Note: Another impressive crud kicking formula is Wellness Formula by Source Naturals. I swear by this stuff. I take it at the first signs of imbalance, and it’s saved me from dropping deep into sickness more times than I can count. It can be taken, in lower doses, as a preventative as well.

Get all of these at iherb and use my coupon code for $5 off your first order: TAV642

Bonus: They always have free shipping on orders over $20, and for orders of $40 or more, and it’s 1-3 day expedited shipping now (They’ve upgraded!)

Ok, now back to Athena:

7) Lysol: I am a BIG Lysol person. The real spray Lysol. (Wipes don’t kill anything). I’m anal about spraying doorknobs, faucet handles, toilet seat, toilet handle, light switches. Lysol is meant for surfaces. Not to be sprayed in the air. It’s literally the ONLY product that kills streph, viruses, bacteria and the list goes on. I do Lysol daily. Yes, its a serious chemical, but the positives outweigh the other stuff.

Rest! Photo via stock.xchng.

8  ) If You Do Get Sick:  Finally, if you DO get sick, immediately start Oscillococcinum Those homeopathic pellets. Do the chicken soup, tea and don’t do dairy when you’re congested. Dairy creates more of the mucous. Also, do NOT work out! You’ll just be sicker longer. And I’m a crazy bodybuilder and even WE know better. Getting sick is your body’s message to slow down and rest it.

Bria here again. I learned a lot just reading and (lightly) editing this post.

I think that last sentence of Athena’s is simple, yet profound. “Getting sick is your body’s message to slow down and rest it.”

We should listen to our bodies, yes?

On that note, the next post in this series will highlight some techniques I personally use to help me fight back when I feel myself coming down with something, and how I shorten the duration of the sickness if I do succumb.

For now, I’m going to put together my next iherb order, and make sure I buy some Lysol next time I hit up the drugstore. Take good care, guys, and feel free to leave your preventative remedies and immunity boosting tips in the comments. Happy Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating it!

My green drink. Old pic, but the drink color is accurate.

Hey Guys!

I just got back Sunday night from my Upstate New York Fall Harvest Yoga Retreat.

It was a lovely weekend, full of Yoga, amazing food, and time outdoors, breathing in the fresh air and taking in the beautiful sights, like colorful fall foliage and deer snacking on grass just outside of our retreat house.

It was also wonderful to spend time with such an amazing group of people.

The retreat inspired this smoothie. Throughout the weekend, my chef/friend/student Maria prepared foods with the best flavors of fall: apples, pumpkins, fall spices, apple cider, and more.

So I threw that idea (along with some random, but seasonally-appropriate ingredients)  into the Vita-Mix for a green smoothie that tastes has a very strong overtone of pumpkin pie flavor. It’s quite delicious.

Flavors of Fall Pumpkin Pie Green Smoothie

Yield: About 8 cups. Recipe can easily be halved.

• 1 16 ounce frozen spinach, thawed or broken into chunks that your blender can handle
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup milk of choice (I used coconut and almond milks)
• 1 cup apple cider or apple juice
  

  Pumpkin is off the wagon and in this smoothie.

• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie seasoning (yes, I like a lot of this ingredient)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sweetener of choice (I used stevia)

1. Add all ingredients into blender, and blend. Add more liquid as needed.

2. Taste for sweetness, and adjust as needed.

Pumpkin will make a few appearances on my Fall Harvest Yoga Weekend menu. Photo courtesy of stock.xchng.

My next Yoga retreat is coming up, not this weekend, but next, October 14-16. We’re spending a weekend in a beautiful house in Upstate New York. I’m incredibly excited to spend time with my students by leading daily Yoga sessions, enjoying some time in nature, and savoring some amazing food.

(In case anyone is curious: Yes, I still have a some slots left for the weekend; not many, but if you’re interested, let me know at briayoga4soul at gmail).

Recently, I had a menu planning meeting with my talented and creative student/retreat chef Maria. Naturally, we’re focusing the seasonal element and the Upstate NY bounty of apples, pumpkins, and the like. In fact, part of the weekend will be farm-to-table, literally, because my students and I are picking apples at a local orchard, and we’ll incorporate “them apples”  into subsequent meals.

Here’s a preview of some of the weekend’s menu. (It’s in no particular order):

Upstate apples, look out. My students and I are coming for you soon! Photo courtesy of stock.xchng.

• Pumpkin soap with roasted pumpkin seed topping
• Marinated kale salad with zesty nut “pate/paste”
• Harvest vegetable lasagna (veg and vegan options)
• Apple cream cheese bundt cake with warm apple-caramel compote
• Creamy coconut sorbet
• Pumpkin streusel muffins
• Chocolate of some kind (Since I’m a chocoholic, we MUST have it in some form. I’m still deciding how, but am leaning towards flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, inspired by Averie.)
• Green smoothies on offer at breakfast (people are usually surprised by how good the drink tastes).

Ok, so I gotta roll now and work on some more elements of retreat planning and attempt to enjoy a day off. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. I know not everyone likes the cooler temperatures, but I do, because I know that means I’ll soon be spending more time in the kitchen, and sharing the results with you here. See ya’ll soon.

One unscathed peach, as the rest simmer in the background for Lazy Peach Butter, my peach butter that leaves the skins ON.

Peach butter’s all over the blogosphere. I’m aware of this.  It makes perfect sense: peach season is winding down, and canning is the cool thing to do these days. Like all old school and retro and local and Recession-friendly and stuff.

So if anything, I’m kind of late (and a follower to boot) by even “going  there” with this recipe.

However, my peach butter is different in a key way: it leaves the skins on.

Personally, I haven’t yet run into any peach butter that doesn’t involve either:

a. Blanching, then peeling the peachies.

b. A food mill.

I hate peeling fruits and vegetables. It’s a pet peeve of mine, to be honest. Because I’m lazy like that. I’ll admit it. Plus, I love the skin of fruits like peaches, plums, pears, and apples. The skins have tons of flavor and all of those beautiful colors. Plus, I mentioned I’m lazy, right?

Bless this mess. Chunky, messy, peachy goodness.

Regarding canning:  I’m not yet set up to do canning. In the future, I wanna be all up in the canning scene. With decorative labels and shiny Ball jars and both innovative and classic preserves flavors. But for now, that’s not the deal over here.

Moreover, I’m not about to buy a food mill, not just yet. Most of my cooking and such doesn’t really justify owning one, and this humble kitchen is tiiiiiiight for space as it is.

So my peach butter is beyond simple; it keeps the peels on, and it’s a good thing it does. Because once I tell you what I went through to get these peaches from farm (market) to table, you’ll realize the wisdom (and hilarity) of my Lazy Peach Butter. Keep reading, or scroll on down for the recipe. . . .

Labor Day 2011 summed up my entire summer in so many ways. It included:

• Biking
• Yoga
• Fresh produce from the farmer’s market
• Buying a random (but needed) item off of Craigslist
• Eating an ice cream cone (I’ve been nuts about ice cream this summer; this doesn’t happen every year, so go figure)
• Mishaps
• A lazy,  minimal recipe

Today’s agenda sounded so simple. After taking it pretty easy this weekend (only teaching 2 classes, as all of my other gigs were canceled, and I hadn’t been doing much of anything), I was ready to pick up the tempo.

I decided to ride my bike down to Chelsea to take a Yoga class that’d been gifted to me by a friend.  Today was the last day I could take the class, and wasted pre-paid classes make me sad, so I was up kinda early to get rollin’. I figured a farmer’s market run at the nearby Union Square Greenmarket after class to snag the peaches for peach butter would be a smart idea. Sounded simple enough.

I already assembled the garment rack. Took all of five minutes. Loving it already! Note the mix of summer and fall clohes hanging on it.

Until I got an email from a girl I’d written to on Craigslist, telling me that the garment rack she was selling was still available, and could I come get it today.

I’ve been wanting a garment rack for ages. This one was only $15. She was in the East Village, and I was going to be nearish to there anyways.

So I made plans to meet her after class, pre-market.

I figured I’d take the garment rack parts and stash them in a locker at one of my work sites, returning  to fetch them later in the week. Surely garment rack parts would be too bulky to carry, especially on a bike. Right?

Wrong.

This is where my Iranian Engineering kicks in.

What’s that, you ask? Well, growing up, my dad had a way (he still does) of, ahem, rigging things up around the house, and at his businesses. My mom used to roll her eyes and say, “There’s a right way to do something. And there’s a wrong way. Then there’s your Dad’s way.”

So my dad’s Iranian, and he’s trained as an engineer, he has his ways, so there we have it. Iranian Engineering.

Apparently, folks,  the gene got passed on to me.

The garment rack parts were light enough that I decided we were all coming home together: Me, the rack, and eventually, the delicate, fresh peaches. One the bike. On Labor Day. In Manhattan. Ahem.

I was able to stuff most of the “poles” of the rack into my Yoga mat bag. I wrapped my super lightweight travel mat around them, secured the mat and the poles with a heavy duty rubber band. I stuffed the rest of the garment rack parts in my backpack. Then I slung both the Yoga mat bag and the backpack on my back. Carefully. (And I wonder why my shoulders tweak out sometimes, but that’s another story for another day).

The farmer’s market run was pretty quick and painless. I stuck the peaches in a plastic bag, and stuck that in a reusable bag. I looped the reusable bag around the bike handlebars a couple of times, and we were off. I’m pretty sure some people thought “friggin’ idiot” as I rolled past, but I pit them no mind. I was too psyched that I might actually get all the stuff home in one trip.

Soon enough, I realized the Yoga mat was going to keep slipping off my back and possibly cause me to bob and weave across the road like a drunk. I’m totally against doing that unless already intoxicated, plus I can think of better ways to go than getting mowed down by a garbage truck. So I rigged up a way to loop my mat around the handle bars. I then took my two “U” locks and looped them around the mat and the handlebars to further secure it. (Yes, I have two locks. Don’t ask).

It was a feat of Iranian Engineering. Lemme tell ya. It was actually quiet comfortable and relatively stable, and I was proud.

Peaches cooking up. I swear the pic is in focus. The foggy look is from the steam floating off of the peaches.

Until an incident with the bag of peaches hanging low on the handlebars and um, somehow getting caught in the front wheel.

You know what they say about low-hanging fruit. .  .

Long story short, about half the peaches were pureed before I even got north of 23rd Street.

Sigh.

This is where Yoga kicks in. The old Bria would’ve been madder than a hornet’s nest at such a turn of events. And yeah, a few curses did fly, as I freed the bag and the peaches from the wheel and got all sticky in the process. But really, I mostly laughed. My bike had done some of the prep work for me.  And I was able to salvage every last peach. After a good rinse at home (of both the peaches and myself), everything was fine. Except for the brown sugar I’d chosen to use almost burning up the whole pot of peach butter.

Yes, another error. Again, luckily one I caught in time. The simple flavor of peaches and the slight caramel note added by the brown sugar is quite delicious, but next time, I’m do half brown sugar, half regular sugar to prevent scorching. I’m glad I didn’t add any spices. I’m also glad that I went pretty easy on the sugar, because a lot of fruit butters are too darn sweet. To me, this one is perfect.

Thank goodness, considering what I went through to make it!

Lazy Peach Butter

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.)

Yield: 1 and 1/2 cups peach butter. Recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc.

• 1 pound of peaches, pits removed and cut into 8 pieces per peach
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar (I used brown sugar, but it seems more prone to scorching, so just be aware and feel free to use white sugar or a mix of brown and white sugars)

1. Add peaches and water to a pot/Dutch oven. I used my small Le Creuset.

2. Boil for 15-20 minutes, until tender.

3. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

4. Place peaches in blender (I used my Vita-Mix) or food processor and puree lightly until desired consistency is reached. (Go slowly, especially if you want a chunkier texture, like I did).

5. Return puree to pot and add lemon juice and sugar.

6. On a low heat, simmer for another 5-10 minutes (up to 40 minutes for bigger batches), stirring gently and often.  (Mine was done at 5 minutes, and I think the brown sugar caused the bottom of the Le Creuset to get a caramelized layer on it, so be careful here.)

7.  To test for correct consistency, place some of peach butter on the back of a wooden spoon. When one finger swiped down the middle leaves a clean space, the peach butter is thick enough.

8. Allow to cool, and store, covered in a jar for up to a month. Alternatively, you can freeze it. I’d guesstimate it’ll last at least 6 months frozen.

Maybe I'll catch up on my reading...Photo courtesy of Stock.xchng.

It took a hurricane to get me to finally update this blog. Ha!

As you may have heard, we on the East Coast are fixin’ to get walloped by Hurricane Irene.

For some people I know, myself included, it takes a major storm and a shut down public transit system to get us grounded and to spend time in relative stillness.

As much as I love lounging, I typically work a lot on the weekends and am often social as well. But not this weekend. All of my classes are canceled, and New York City transit isn’t running.

Let me say this now: I’m safe, prepped, and have coordinated with my neighbors and friends so that we can help one another out should the need arise. So please, no one worry! And no, I’m not in an evacuation zone. Thankfully!

I was slated to teach one class this morning, near an evacuation zone, no less, but once I got there (miraculously on time!), it quickly became apparent than no one was showing up to take the class. So I worked out instead.

I'm getting this top soon. Can't wait to work out in it. Red, cheetah print, black, and with a criss-cross/lattice back? Yes, PLEASE! To see the back view, click here: tinyurl.com/3u8x95c

Why not work out, I figured. I was already in a gym setting, and it was quiet. Love that. Here’s what I did :

Bria’s Hurricane Workout

• 30 minutes on the elliptical, hill intervals
• 10 minutes of Yoga, with a simple flow: Down Dog to Down Dog Split to Warrior One,Warrior 2, Reverse, Triangle, Revolved Triangle, Warrior 3, Warrior One, Vinyasa. Repeat on the second side.
• I practiced a bit of headstand and handstand as well.
• Then 20 pushups (10 regular, 10 narrow hand position)
• Hyperextension: 20 reps
• One set of Pilates hundreds, some oblique crunches (16 per side)
• A few cool-down stretches. Done!

This all took about 45-50 minutes

And now I’m blogging.

As I said before, I’ve definitely put this space on Summer Hours for the past few weeks. It’s just been busy in my life, plus I’m cooking up some ideas on how to make this blog better. Perhaps much better.

Yoga has definitely helped keep me calm during a crazy week.

What a week!

Wanna hear my earthquake story?

Tuesday, I was teaching Yoga, in the MetLife building no less, during the earthquake tremor/aftershock. Really!

The room shook, and I saw and felt it move, but thought “Maybe there are window washers outside, and they’re working too vigorously. And also, those goons in the weight room really shouldn’t throw around their weights so much that it causes the entire floor to shake.”

I'll be watching lots of this. But where are my Law and Order marathons on a stormy weekend like this? Picture courtesy of Stock.xchng.

A few minutes later, a voice came on over the loudspeaker when my students were in Warrior 2, saying “We’ve had reports of the building shaking, and are investigating.”

A few minutes after that, we were evacuated. I ended up walking home, because no WAY did I want to be underground on the subway if another aftershock came through.

Fast forward a few days, and I’ve noticed that some of my friends don’t know what to do with themselves with all of this downtime as we wait to feel the full effects of the hurricane.

I say, get grounded. Have some fun. Maybe even be productive, but in a low-key, meditative kind of way, not a frantic, deadline-meeting, stressing ourselves out kind of way. Know what I mean?

Steak! I cooked one of these for dinner tonight. Photo courtesy of Stock.xchng.

Squeeze in a mini workout. Cook. Can food (like make quick pickles or preserves). Clean  house. Watch movies. Cuddle. Breathe and actually tune into that breath!

I typically have no problem keeping myself entertained. I love downtime, alone time, and quiet.

My plan is to do some or all of the following. This isn’t so much a to-do list as a list of options:

• Meditate
• Organize a bookshelf I recently got
• Put up some laundry (never-ending chore!)
• Attend to some other assorted light household tasks
• Lots of lounging and napping
• Plan upcoming trips (Montreal, Toronto, and I’m jonesing for a Winter island trip)
• Drink tea. And hot chocolate. And my homemade kombucha! (posting my recipe for kombucha soon)
• Catch up on reading; I just re-read “On the Road,” and think I have a crush on Jack Kerouac
• Yoga and maybe some Pilates, too
• Watch TV (but where are my Law and Order marathons when we NEED one? Wall to wall news coverage gets old when nothing NEW is being said.)
• Watch movies. My friend Athena Lee has assigned me to re-watch Wedding Crashers. Gladly!
• Pray the electricity holds. (Power outages and blackouts aren’t fun. Yes, I lived through the New York City blackout of 2003).
• Cook. Not bake. Ha, too dangerous to have bunches of fragrant, gooey goodies lying around 

Anyways, forgive the light tone of this post. Yes, the storm is serious. I get that. I just really hope that everyone stays safe and makes the best of the present moments, even if they’re not what we expected for our usual weekend dabblings. Breaking the routine can be a good thing.

Buckets and buckets of dates. Date syrup is an easy way to use up dates so you can enjoy snacking on premium dates like the ones in the pic. Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

I’m loathe to waste anything. Perhaps this is a Persian thing. Or perhaps not. It’s definitely a “me” thing.

Recently, I lucked into a big, fresh batch of medjool dates. They’re creamy, caramel-y, and just perfect. But wouldn’t you know it? I had some other dates lying around that were looking pretty sad.

You know I was not going to let those sad, dried out little dates go to waste. I’d feel too guilty enjoying the plump, sassy ones I’d just been given knowing that the dry, pathetic ones were just sitting there, dessicating even more. Ha!

So date syrup to the rescue.

Me, my student Mythili, and Meera, at the Wanderlust Festival in Vermont earlier this summer. It was one interesting and fun June weekend!

Now I have a sweetener for my tea, baked goods, no-bake sweets, and whatever else I can think of. Best of all, it’s natural and makes good use of mineral-packed dates. And I get to snack on those other awesome dates guilt free. Well, not completely guilt-free. I don’t fast for Ramadan. Mad props to those who do, but I don’t. So in an act of restraint, I’ll try not to eat too many dates during the day as the fasting month kicks off in a few days. (Dates are a popular food to break the daylong fast with).

As to the recipe, it’s so simple, I’m not typing out a formal recipe. Because it’s summer and I roll super simple in the summer. Ha!  In my Vita-mix, I blended:

• 20 dates, pits removed
• 1 and a half cups of water
• 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

This yielded a good two cups of syrup. I just blended until it was smooth, which made the syrup liquidy and pourable. If you’re looking for a thicker texture, use less liquid.

I’ll be back at some point with a re-cap of some of my summer travel adventures, including my taking to the streets of NY on my bike. But for now, I’m off to enjoy more watermelon, which I’ve been eating tons of lately, and a chill evening. You all take care and stay cool.

I used white, also known as yellow, quinoa in my recipe. Look for it in the rice/grain section part of your store. Technically, it's not a grain. It's a seed. And it's gluten-free and very high in protein as well. Photo via wikipedia.

Back to my quinoa breakthrough. Imagine, cooking quinoa according the package directions, and it turning out awesome? Who’d have known? Certainly not me, as I’m not always one for following directions. I can barely make my own recipe the same way twice, much less another person’s. Ha!

I stumbled upon this recipe the other night when “shopping in my cabinets.” I decided to do something novel for me and made the quinoa according to the package directions (fry a cup of quinoa for 20 seconds in butter or oil, add two cups of boiling water, cover, simmer for 20 minutes, covered, over a low heat).

Happy Birthday, America. You're 235, you say? Well, you're forever 21 to me.

As it cooked, I chopped up a bunch of veggies that were hanging around unused: some roasted red peppers, celery, a couple of artichoke hearts. I added a can of (drained) white beans. Then I mixed this all into the fluffy quinoa, along with a couple of drizzles of olive oil, some ground cumin, and some Trader Joe’s 21 Salute seasoning (salt-free and very versatile!) I threw in some nutritional yeast, too.

It was a hit, and a new summer staple was born. It tastes lovely hot, cold, or at room temp. It travels well, and it’s light yet filling. It’s a flexible recipe: vary the veggies and spices and come up with  your own combos. Plus, quinoa is high in protein; along with the beans and veggies, you have a balanced one-dish meal or side.

Quinoa, I’m sorry for my past indifference and for leaving you out of the retreat festivities. I promise I’ll make it up to you somehow, someday!

Fluffy Summer Quinoa Salad

Ingredients to serve 4 as a side, 2 as a main dish:

• 1 cup quinoa
• oil or butter of choice
• water
• veggies of choice (such as peas, peppers, onions, artichoke hearts, asparagus, olive chunks, scallions, whatever you desire/have on hand)
• 1 can of bean of choice, drained (I used white beans)
• salt and pepper to taste
• spice blend of choice (I used Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute)
• ground cumin (couple of pinches)
• nutritional yeast or parmesean cheese, grated (optional)

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.

2. As quinoa cooks, chops up veggies, drain beans, and gather spices.

3. Once quinoa is done (takes about 20 minutes), remove from heat.  Fluff with a fork, add spices. Lightly stir. Add oil. Fluff a bit again. Add veggies and beans and stir again. Taste and adjust seasoning, oil, and veggies amounts if   needed. That’s IT!