Celebrating The First International Day of Yoga

YOGIC VEGETARIAN RECIPES
A Divine Yogic Feast
By Chris Cooper
Chef Chris Cooper is a professionally trained French chef and Nutrition Therapist
specializing in vegetarian and vegan diets. He is passionate about healthy living,
plant based nutrition and has developed recipes around this philosophy.
The recipes are complementary to each other, you could make them during a celebration or singularly as and when you wish.
All are based on a vegan, gluten free diet, and are high in protein, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, healthy fats, and fibre.
Brown Rice Biryani (Gf, Ve)
This biryani contains a complete protein combination (brown rice + peas). The fennel
seeds will help with digestion, nigella seeds will keep your body cells protected and
rejuvenated, and the amino acid tryptophan, released thanks to the goodness and
properties of the cranberries, helps with serotonin levels and triggers happy feelings.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Baked Vegetable Bhaji (Gf, Ve)
Up your vegetable intake by cooking this recipe packed with vitamins and minerals,
which will be well received by friends and family members for any meal of the day.
The chard leaves keep the blood sugar levels in a homeostasis state and the turmeric
possesses anti-inflammatory properties.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
200g sweet potatoes
150g carrots
500g cauliflower
100g courgettes
20g chard leaves
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground paprika
50g gram flour + extra for dusting
3 tablespoons olive oil
20g fresh coriander
20g fresh parsley
2 tablespoons tamari
Method:
Preheat the oven to 230˚C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Using a small bowl, prepare the batter by adding the ground cumin, ground
coriander, paprika, gram flour, tamari, the leaves and stalks of the parsley and
coriander finely chopped, and pour in the olive oil .
Cut the cauliflower into tiny florets, finely chop the chard leaves and place them
in a separate large bowl. Peel the potatoes, carrots, and courgettes, slice them into
quarters and blend them in a food processor or chop finely if no food processor is
available and add them with the chard and cauliflower. Transfer the batter onto the
vegetables and with a wooden spoon, mix thoroughly until well combined.
Dust your palms with gram flour, make dough balls and lay them on your tray. Bake
for 20 – 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.
Leftover suggestion: There will be no leftovers!
1tablespoon olive oil
1 cup of brown rice
6 cups of water
30g garden peas
50g green beans
30g cashew nuts
20g cranberries
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon nigella seeds
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 green chilli (optional)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 220˚ C. Wash the brown rice thoroughly. In a pan, on a low
heat, heat the oil, add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and nigella seeds, and cook for
5 minutes. Add the ground turmeric and cinnamon, stir well until the spices are well
blended then add the rice, cover with the water and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place baking paper on a tray and roast the cashew nuts for 8 – 10
minutes and leave to one side. Cut the green beans into 4 cm length and peel the
fresh garden peas and add them to the rice mixture. Cook the rice mixture for a
further 10 – 15 minutes until all water has been absorbed and the rice and
vegetables are all soft. In the meantime chop the chilli, if using, (you may wish to
deseed it if sensitive to the seed’s heat) and add it to the rice mixture together with
the cranberries and cashew nuts. Mix well and serve immediately.
Leftover suggestion: This recipe can be served hot and eaten cold as a salad.
62 YOGALife |Autumn/Winter 2015