Pesto Avocado Chickpea Sandwich

You Guys, this is major. It’s not everyday I treat myself to a sandwich (my personal body type does well with less bread), so when I do, it better be good. This clean, simple, fresh AF beauty knocked my fuzzy socks off. It has that lovely farm to table vibe, and would be fabulous when packed for a picnic, beach outing (fast approaching; yay!!), or legit anywhere. The Jewish holiday of Shavuot is coming up, and unlike our heavier holiday and Shabbat eating, we customarily eat dairy/vegetarian for this one. A beautiful sandwich makes a hearty meal, and accompanied by the other Jesscipes in my new plant based brunch series, the ordinary becomes extra. I developed my plant based brunch concept with true joy, reverence, and the humble willingness to always learn how to better care for my physical body. I can clearly see, from the birth of the blog, how my eating habits have changed and keep changing. Eating is like anything else; you know better, you do better. Like all else, our food intake changes based on how we feel, what we learn, and what we decide to do with that information. Sometimes the decision is for me to enjoy some real ice cream. Overall, I’m a pretty clean eater which just hits right on all levels.

PS: I adore the rustic look and textures of this sandwich, and it platters so well. It’s a fun way to feed.

Ingredients:
Use high quality ingredients since there aren’t many components here. Let each element be fresh and beautiful. You deserve that always.
1 can chickpeas drained, rinsed, patted dry
A ripe avocado
1/4 cup pesto
2 tbsp diced red onion
2 to 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (I used 3)
Two large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Boston, Bibb, or Red lettuce leaves
1 packed tbsp chopped cilantro, parsley, or dill (I used cilantro)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
A good loaf of grainy, seedy, country bread, 8 slices toasted

In a bowl, mash the chickpeas and avocado until combined in a chunky texture. Don’t over mash. Add the pesto, lemon juice, onion, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Toast the bread in batches. Assemble the sandwiches by layering a lettuce leaf, the chickpea mixture, a slice of tomato, and topping with the other bread slice. Cut into triangles (because who doesn’t love that) and serve on a platter. Use all same day since the avocado filling will begin to brown. This was an unnecessary tip, since there won’t be extras leftover.

Are we still doing this?

I hate this quote. Like I saw it and was pissed. First of all, I’m not a fan of taking stock model imagery and slapping a cheesy message on it. It feels very superficial and well, cheesy. I find it to be somewhat insulting. It’s irritating to me when an edited photo of a fully made up, beautiful woman is lazily paired with “female empowerment!”. But what really vexed me here was the definition of what a strong woman looks like. It is a dangerous message to tell women, overtly or subliminally, what they must do and be in order to be defined as strong. To me, this dumb caption promotes women as doormats in denial, though under the guise of false bravado. I read it as, and of course you don’t have to see it this way, a woman stuffing down her feelings and stoically carrying on, “no matter what life throws at her”. Really?? Are we still doing that?? I’m not. I was raised to believe that and trust me, it doesn’t work. All around me I see women who have no idea how to manage their emotions for the simple reason they were never modeled how to honor and acknowledge them. They were falsely taught that “strength” means to keep going, keep condoning, keep allowing, keep “taking the high road” (my personal favorite; it’s often an excuse that masks cowardice), and perhaps the most harmful if misused; letting go. Letting go is a wonderful thing to to do. It’s one of the key pieces in self liberation. HOWEVER, it’s only true and effective if we first deeply acknowledge and hold sacred space for our own hurt and wounding. To deny ourselves our humanity is not what makes a person strong. It’s a lot easier to take the weaker path of being too afraid to carry our own pain. Our emotional experiences can often be too much to bear, especially when a loved one has wounded us. It’s an extremely difficult thing to do to look very closely at our relationships, especially our stories around those dynamics. For example, it’s usually crazy hard for mothers to admit when we have caused our children pain; it negates the story we need to have that we are great moms. Hard, right? Easier to ignore and “persevere” without ever having the tough conversation. If a significant other hurts us, or if we’ve hurt them, that can tamper with the story of our solid relationship. To blindly persevere is to not cope at all. To forgive is usually a cop out, since it’s way harder to tell someone they really hurt us. Why? Because, among other things, we might lose them. THEY may not forgive US. Read that again. Therefore, since the dawn of time, women have been trained that true strength lies in never investigating our own stuff. We have been conditioned to deny, falsely forgive so as not to rock the boat, and just get used to marinating in hurt and resentment. This, to me, is weak. To sit with our hurt is the true exercise in strength, for the very reason that it’s intensely uncomfortable. I once had a friend say that she self medicates to avoid looking at certain relationships in her life. Think about the painful gravity of that statement. “Walking away” is hiding. Yes, we absolutely must remove ourselves from any form of abuse or mistreatment, no question. Toxic dynamics, insulting conversations; BYEEE. But I took this to mean walking away from our feelings, in the name of “moving on”. That’s where the self harm lies. All humans are deeply emotional and sensitive beings. What our culture does to men in teaching them to deny their feelings is beyond destructive. So basically, a strong man just “keeps going” and a strong woman just “keeps going”? Ok, cool. So what we are left with are generations of all types of humans who have no skill set in navigating their emotional experience. How can anyone relate to anyone if we lack this powerful language? How can we effectively raise other humans if we don’t know how to face and nurture our own stuff? One of the things I have learned is that to love, really love, one must look at themselves, before they then do this with others, with radical honesty and acceptance (I recommend the transformative works of Tara Brach). We cannot love anyone or anything without an open and accepting examination. I love myself because I see myself, and I love you because I see you. I can only see your pain if I first admit to my own. I can only fully appreciate your magnificence if I throw away the self deprecation, move through the shame and self berating, and appreciate my own. To love is to know. It even says that in the Torah. We cannot love without knowledge, and the willingness to know both ourselves and the others in our lives is an act of love itself. What is more demeaning and dismissive than if we share with someone we are in pain, and that admittance is met with, “let it go”? It’s unkind. To be courageous (the root of which means “heart” in French) is to not run from pain. It’s not to just forgive, forget, and get over it. Getting over things isn’t strength, it’s avoidance by trying to jump over the juicy, informative process of self investigation. We have to believe our feelings matter. It’s in the process of sitting with our stuff that we learn ourselves; the good, the bad and the ugly. Life is all these things, good, bad, and ugly. We can’t outrun suffering. In Buddhism it’s known as the ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows. All are often existing at once. All matter, and all are deserving of attention. To skip over the uncomfortable parts is to ignore reality. It’s the strong who don’t choose to ignore anything.

If you’ve been taught to just “move on”, I see you. If you have been modeled that forgiveness and condoning are interchangeable, I understand. You don’t have to subscribe to that anymore. You are meant to have a rich, complex, loving relationship with yourself. You are indeed designed to forgive, but true forgiveness comes after sincere attention to the matter. Otherwise it’s a cheap bandage. As far as perseverance, it’s not always possible in the moment. Sometimes we just can’t. Sadness, shifting, transitions, covid integration, grief, a breakup, deep introspection, a fight with a loved one, divorce, IVF treatments,a miscarriage, illness, whatever you’re dealing with. These are very heavy things. Strength is allowing the grace to not persevere (which can even mean numbing yourself with errands), and to take some time to process the heaviness. Please don’t think that allowing yourself to feel indicates weakness. Anyone of true value in your life would never want you to rob yourself of your emotional process. Don’t ever lose yourself in order to keep others. Now THAT is one of my favorite quotes on Instagram.

Listen to Kanye West- Hey Mama

Retro Vibes

Wide bell bottoms? Always a classic; thank you, 70’s! Bright, zip up cardigan? A classic as well, a concept that goes way back but still holds up. I love how this vibrant Maje cardigan acts as a top. It’s bold, clean, and modern, which is a great compliment to the throwback style of each piece seen here. Even the shoes are silver oxfords with a woven platform, oxfords being another classic style. The faux specs, working off the cardigan, gave me Wonder Years vibes. Anyone my age loved that show. I’d breastfeed my oldest to it on mute 20 years ago (TMI for a fashion post?). Bell bottoms do wonders in elongating legs, and look amazing with almost any style of top. These are a new purchase from Free People. I bought them in a dark and light rinse. I think they’re an essential staple in any denim closet. Despite it being April, this was shot in WTF 35 degree weather. This is a solid transitional style that’s practical with personality. Sounds like #goals to me.

Helping, Fixing, or Serving? - Lion's Roar Inbox

Such a deeply important article. To all the well intentioned fixers out there, I see you. I understand the need to fix in order to control an outcome. This often comes from our own fears, which is why it’s usually unhelpful to the person we are claiming to help. We believe there is safety in the way the story matches up with what we need it to be. Many people fix because they crave security, control, and predictability. It’s fear based. It stems from our own projections, insecurities, and preferences, our own need to be validated. Service, on the other hand, comes from love. It’s not us determining what the other person needs, it’s not us forcing a certain result. Service is an expression of love because it contains the element of trust; trusting the other, trusting life, trusting the unknown, trusting we don’t have the answers, and trusting our inherent value even if we can’t solve the issue at hand. I have found that the deeper I dive into my own habits, clear out old fears, and apply radical honesty to my own process, I have alchemized my need to fix into a genuine desire to serve. I hope you find this useful in your own quest to relate to those around you. We are all deeply responsible for how we respond to others. More often than not, we cause more damage when we aren’t skillfully and sensitively supportive. Service is a skill. It’s ok to need to relearn how to do it, since most of us weren’t modeled healthy acts of supporting others. What’s not ok is to continue to allow our own pathologies to affect others, especially under the guise of help. We learn, we apply, we practice. May we commit to better serving our fellow humans. May we allow for them to serve us, too. Receiving is equally necessary, it’s something we all deserve.

https://www.lionsroar.com/helping-fixing-or-serving/

Lentil Fennel Soup w Herbs

I remain mystified as to how a bag of red lentils resulted in a yellow soup...
Anyway, this was a delicious combination of fresh ingredients that resulted in a hearty, herbed lentil soup. I love fennel and used the entire head of it here. Usually just the bottom part is used, but I added the top fronds as well. This essentially acted as the dill element. One of my girls asked me to fully purée the soup, but feel free to play around with consistency with your immersion blender.

Ingredients:
A bag of lentils, I used red, rinsed
10 cups vegetable stock or broth
A Spanish onion, diced
A large head of fennel, chopped from top to bottom
A cup of packed, fresh basil
A bouquet garni of fresh rosemary and thyme, I used 2 sprigs rosemary and half a bunch of thyme
One large dried bay leaf
One tsp each dried Italian seasoning and cumin
Two tbsp red wine vinegar

In a large soup pot sauté the onions in several tbsp olive oil, until fragrant and translucent. Add the vinegar as the onion starts to brown. Add the cumin and Italian seasoning, cover pot and let all combine. After a couple minutes add the chopped fennel bulb and fronds with a cup of the stock. Stir, cover, and sweat the onions and fennel. This gives the soup a terrifically flavorful base. Let sweat for several minutes. Uncover pot, add the rest of the stock, the lentils, the basil, and all the dried herbs. Add 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp fresh ground pepper. Mix well, cover, and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Lower heat and simmer for an hour. Remove from heat, remove the bay leaf and bouquet garni. Let cool for ten minutes then taste to adjust seasonings. Blend to desired consistency. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

Off Duty J Lo

Feeling so much like the title of this post! I’ll take even the slightest Jenny From the Block vibe. The street style look of the cropped sweatshirt, oversized matching pants, large gold jewelry, top knot, and cute sneakers was the perfect pulled together yet comfy look for a recent Sunday hang. The sweatsuit is Joah Brown, a brand which has embarrassingly been my unconscious covid addiction (shopping while trapped at home brings its own brand of shame). I love the statement of the bold tomato red, mixed with the statement of the necklace. Adding a pop of polished glam can really elevate street wear. It’s proof that even relaxed and comfortable clothes, when well curated and accessorized, can leave you “Feelin’ So Good”.

Listen to Pop Smoke - What You Know Bout Love

Same beach, new story

I recently returned from a trip to Miami Beach, Florida, a place I swore I’d never return to. Growing up, my extended family spent decades of Passover’s there, beginning in 1985 (I think) following the death of my grandfather. Prior to that, we had spent Passover at the legendary Grossinger’s resort in the Catskills, a point of great pride for any tri state area family. Having gone to Grossinger’s takes New York mid century Judaism to the next level.
For many years, my Miami family memories were special and amazing. Having that time with my cousins was the highlight of the year for all of us. Over time, as our family began to disintegrate and turn toxic and frightening, we were forced to keep going to Miami and spend miserable holidays together. Choosing health, wellness, self respect, and boundaries, not to mention physical safety, in a deeply enmeshed and codependent family dynamic was simply not on the table. In a Holocaust surviving family, being scared and miserable yet together was the learned norm. I understand this from the perspective that there is strength in numbers. That survival tactic literally saved lives during the war. “Happiness” and emotional safety was modern frivolity, and physical safety was the goal. I don’t think a drunk uncle throwing punches and chairs would be considered physically safe, but again, compared to the horrors of the war that was nothing. Over time, as the family holidays spent together went from uncomfortable to unbearable and dangerous, my associations to this particular stretch of Miami Beach soured immensely. I vowed never to go back. The memories, for a million reasons, were too painful. The association was an utter sense of danger and defenselessness.
This year, being in the same spot that held such pain and trauma, I was able to experience Miami in a whole new way. Looking out onto the beach from my balcony, I was overcome with the liberation that comes with one rewriting their story. The possibility of us being able to flip any script is incredibly empowering and freeing. The version of me that suffered at the hands of a miserably diseased family system doesn’t exist anymore. She was laid to rest years ago. While I remember those awful times clearly, it’s as if I’m just watching a movie about someone else. There is no part of me that would ever even be a walk on in a movie like that, and I’m proud that as a mother, my children would never be subjected to that type of environment. There is no strike two when it comes to my kids, and their father has the same approach. Maybe what I went through as a defenseless child was needed to shape me into the parent I became, a parent who would not put my kids in harm’s way no matter what. I don’t believe in suffering for the sake of anyone else’s narrative, and I have carved out a life for myself that supports that. My ability to have rewritten my story, thereby creating space for new memories and feelings in the very same spot that was so traumatic, filled me with deep appreciation for both myself and for life. For possibility, for chances, for the strength it takes to reclaim one’s life.
I’m a very emotionally driven person who is extremely sentimental. I remember everything. While I hold my memories and feelings, I don’t want them to hold me. One of the goals in my spiritual practice is to be so anchored and rooted, so that I don’t get swept away by the ever changing tides of feelings and brain activity. Not tightly attaching to any particular experience affords us more ease and fluidity in this human experience. Being able to feel inwardly safe and comfortable, and open and spacious, allowed me to enjoy Miami in a whole new way. I was proud that I didn’t get dragged down by the sediment of the past, and that the healing work I’ve done over the past few years gave me fresh clay to mold.
I subscribe to a life in which I’m the creator. My happiness, as an adult, is my responsibility. My approach to life is a choice, and how I act supports that choice in either direction. I choose peace, I choose strength, I choose liberation, and I choose possibility. That’s the best part of being a grown up; I get to decide.

Yellow Sauce

I cannot stress how insanely delicious this is. Inspired by yellow tomatoes spotted at the market, I added yellow peppers and some other classic, fresh ingredients to make this outrageous sauce. Fresh tomato sauce is always a hit. I’m psyched to share this different take on what has always been a fantastic, and important, staple. Roasting the vegetables and garlic brings out wonderful flavor. Enjoy this sauce hot or room temp (great for Shabbat prep), with any type of pasta or grain, zucchini noodles, or even as a bruschetta topping on toasted bread rounds. F Factor peeps; makes a great spreader on plain GG’s. Putting out a variety of sauces and bases is a fun way to serve homemade sauce🫑🧅🧄.

Ingredients:
4 sliced yellow peppers
2 cups yellow cherry tomatoes
4 large or 6 small/med fresh peeled garlic cloves, rough chopped
A large onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped, packed fresh basil
Olive oil, salt, fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven on roast setting at 415. Place the sliced peppers, whole cherry tomatoes, and chopped garlic in a pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil, 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1 tsp fresh pepper. Roast 45 minutes until the vegetables begin to brown, mixing a couple times during the cooking process. Let cool for ten minutes to release some moisture, as tomatoes hold a lot.
While the vegetables cool, heat a large sauté pan with some olive oil. Sauté the onions several minutes until translucent. TIP: Can add a tbsp white wine or vegetable stock to prevent burning. Add the chopped basil and sauté two more minutes until super fragrant. Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste, only if necessary (I did not need to add at all). Don’t over pulse, since a fresh, chunky texture is optimal for this type of homemade sauce. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Listen to Commodores Oh No

Warm Radicchio Potato Salad

Happy accident! The simply roasted baby potatoes I made were eh. Combining them with chopped radicchio, fresh dill, and a honey mustard vinaigrette was an on the spot game changer. This potato salad is just that; an actual salad. Mayo makes me gag, and while typically dressed potatoes are a solid side, this was way more interesting (and sooo good!). The baby potatoes can be cooked whole or halved.

Ingredients:
3 cups baby potatoes. I used a mixed colored bag of purple, red, and yellow. Using just red or white is fine as well. Keep whole or halve.
A cup of tightly packed chopped fresh dill
One head of radicchio, chopped or sliced. I kept my pieces a heartier medium size.
Dressing:
1/2 cup each olive oil and fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp honey mustard dressing or Dijon mustard
A tbsp of vinegar, I used a fig honey flavor. I think balsamic or white wine would work well, too.
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, preferably freshly ground

Preheat oven to 400. In a pan, mix the potatoes with some olive oil (2 tbsp) and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cover tightly (this will steam the potatoes) and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until the potatoes are fork tender. Make the vinaigrette, whisking all the ingredients well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Put the chopped radicchio and dill in a large bowl. When the potatoes are done, uncover and let cool for ten minutes. Add them to the large bowl and combine with the dressing, mixing well. This warm potato salad looks bright and beautiful in a white bowl, really showcasing the rich jewel toned components.

In Between

Let’s see how many ways I can say “transition” when it comes to style...
I love those in between seasons, when I can pull from different genres to nail a look. That level of mixing things up is fun for me. I enjoy the challenge of working with temperatures that aren’t obvious, and I feel a sense of satisfaction when I get it right. All the pieces featured here work in the Fall, too. In a few weeks the shirt and felt wool hat will be stored away. The vintage Marc Jacobs denim blazer is a fabulous all year piece (I’d be least inclined to wear it during Winter), and the pants will look cute with a white t shirt until it’s too hot for leather. The white sneakers are a fresh nod to Spring (heading into Fall I’d choose a different shoe). During these in between times, it’s the little tweaks and details that usher in new vibes.

Bespoke Religion

I’m seeing, mostly through social media, how Judaism, orthodoxy included, is being expressed in so many new and different ways. I love this and think it’s a very important development. Growing up in a provincial orthodox Jewish neighborhood which was part of the New York/New Jersey rigidly religious machine, it seemed that anyone who dared deviate from the blueprint was judged, ridiculed, ostracized, and labeled. There was simply one way of doing religion. That idea to color within the lines goes against any sense of individuality, and in my opinion, goes against God. If God wanted us to all be the same, he’d have made us so. What is the point of handing out different personalities, thought processes, and DNA just to wind up with an army of clones? I understand that throughout history, especially post Holocaust, there was a need for the control of sameness (this is nothing but an illusion, but still). To reestablish ourselves after such mass destruction and the threat to our very existence reasonably manifested in a more homogeneous approach to religious and cultural life. Humans often find comfort and safety in the predictability of rules. Rules calm the mind (again, an illusion but still) and provide order. Anyone that is a threat to such a system of order is very often cast as a black sheep. This happens on a micro level, say within a family unit like mine, or on a macro level in greater society.
Lately, it has given me great satisfaction to see that it’s becoming more and more acceptable to honor and uphold religious practice in unique ways. For instance, a friend’s orthodox son spent Passover alone in nature. Without a synagogue, community, or special food prepared, he hiked, prayed on snowy mountains, and ate permissibly kosher foods. Nothing was sacrificed yet all was done atypically. Another friend, who is strictly orthodox as well, told me his best Passover ever was spent in Mexico with friends. They prayed together, found kosher food, and had a great time while connecting to the holiday on a beach. Why not? It seems the days of celebrating the Jewish holidays in one way only are thankfully waning. I think it sends a very weak message when religious practice can only be upheld in a black or white manner; it’s as if we are teaching people that without THIS or THAT the system will collapse. If one of life’s goals is to be more open and flexible, shouldn’t this include worship, too? God is enormous and vast; should it be that there’s only one way of connecting to Him? Think about it; as parents we aim to encourage our kids to find themselves, express themselves, BE themselves. It’s like, “ Be yourself and express yourself EXCEPT when it comes to one of the most central themes of your life. Then you must stick to the script”. On social media there have been wonderfully interesting moves from sects of all branches of Judaism on how to honor our heritage. Heritage and religion are two very different concepts, and it’s so refreshing to see so much creativity coming from the ultra orthodox to traditionally cultural. Jewish farmers, musicians, rappers, artists, bakers, holistic healers (like a cousin of mine), just to name a few, have made Jewish expression an endeavor of the heart and spirit over the outdated, fixed ideas of the mind. One of my zen teachers, a Soto zen Buddhist monk, is Jewish. Through him, I’ve participated in a number of Jewish programs with Lab Shul, deeply celebrating Shabbat and holidays in new and exciting ways. Instead of the old teaching that it’s this or nothing, can’t we focus on the newer concept that everything is everything? Not doing Judaism the same way as our community or parents doesn’t mean we aren’t doing it. It means, most likely, we’ve actually stepped back from our programming to examine our intentions, practices, and goals in feeling Hashem in our lives. For instance, I feel more connected to my personal piece of Judaism by incorporating Buddhism into my life. There has been a widening that has made me think deeply and carefully about my Jewish life and how I want it to be. On Yom Kippur I’m probably the only person who refuses to strike my chest during prayers. That practice feels unhealthy to me so I stopped a few years ago. In no way do I feel less connected on Yom Kippur, and in no way am I suggesting my way is right. All I’m saying is that there should be, and must be in changing modern times, room to build our relationship to God in a way that truly serves our heart. I believe this is the point to this whole gig, because a healthy, loving heart makes for a healthy, loving individual. A healthy, loving individual allows us to better do God’s work. It all comes full circle when practiced with joy. Without joy and connection there is a blockage to all our experiences. If praying alone in a forest brings one joy, then how great is that? We, as a community, must encourage and support this new religious elasticity, having faith that true connection only creates more room for all types of expansion. These interpretations will never be viewed as threats by those who feel firmly rooted in their connection to Hashem. A strong foundation has room for growth. As a parent who greatly values my Jewish history, heritage, and culture, I want to teach this very notion to my children; don’t ever be afraid that God doesn’t love you for exactly who you are. I don’t want my kids to be clones of me, their dad, or each other. Preaching the idea of identical religious practice will only become a hindrance in their growth as individuals. If they arrive at the traditional conclusion, I hope it’s from their own exploration and not this archaic idea that coloring outside the lines is a problem.

Warm Clothes To Warm Weather

Finally, right? Here on the East Coast we are losing our heavier coats and beginning to taste Spring. When I shot this look it was still cold, so I went for a transitional vibe that has the thick sweater instead of a coat. The sweater, a winter piece, mixed with the satin printed pants and white shoes (Isabel Marant and Madison Margiela, respectively) is the right blend of heavy and light, darker and bright. Transitional dressing is all about mixing textures, weights, and fabrics so that you don’t seem stuck in one particular season. The white shoes are prob my fav piece here; I love the fresh little nod to Spring despite the cold. A pop of white is a great way to begin to shift seasons, as well as the mental states and moods that come along with them. My cute little red earring was a nice coordinating detail. Silk pants have so many warm weather uses, like a white tank top, half tucked white button down, or a lighter slouchy cardigan with the sleeves bunched up (add bracelets!). I love this time, where it feels very exciting to start to venture out of hibernation and bask in the knowledge that things will always bloom again.

Quinoa, Still Keen

Here are some of my favorite quinoa recipes from Food and Wine mag. Most of these are great for Passover, a holiday in which there are many dietary laws that require creativity in the kitchen. Different sects of Jews have varying customs on what’s permissible to eat during the holiday, and quinoa is allowed despite most grains being off the menu. When used creatively, this protein packed side proves super versatile.

Golden Semolina Quinoa Spinach Cakes

• ½ cup quinoa

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon minced shallot

• 10 ounces baby spinach

• Salt

• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 cup low-fat milk

• ¾ cup finely ground semolina

• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• 1 large egg (beaten)

• 1 ½ cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

• 3 large egg whites

• Step 1

  In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Lightly fluff the quinoa with a fork and cover it again.

• Step 2

  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the shallot and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the spinach to a strainer and let cool slightly; press out any remaining liquid and finely chop the spinach.

• Step 3

  In a large saucepan, combine the milk, 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the semolina until very smooth. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the semolina is thick enough to hold soft peaks when the spoon is lifted, about 7 minutes. Remove the semolina from the heat and stir in the quinoa and Parmigiano. Season with salt and pepper and let cool for 15 minutes.

• Step 4

  Stir the beaten whole egg and spinach into the quinoa mixture and spread in an ungreased 7-by-11-inch pan; it will be about 2 inches thick. Let cool at room temperature, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

• Step 5

  Preheat the oven to 250°. Cut the chilled semolina mixture into 12 squares. Put the panko in a shallow dish and season with 1 teaspoon of salt. In another shallow dish, whisk the egg whites with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of water. Dip the cakes into the whites and turn to coat, letting the excess drip off. Coat the cakes in the panko and shake off excess crumbs. Transfer to a clean baking sheet.

• Step 6

  In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add half of the cakes and cook over moderately high heat until golden on both sides and on the edges, about 6 minutes; adjust the heat as necessary to prevent the cakes from burning. Drain the cakes on a paper towel–lined plate, then transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the skillet and cook the remaining cakes in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Serve hot.

Roasted Delicata Squash with Quinoa Salad

• 2 Delicata squash (about 1 pound each), halved lengthwise and seeded

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 cup quinoa

• 2 tablespoons golden raisins

• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced

• 1 large shallot, minced

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 2 tablespoons chopped mint

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• 2 ounces arugula (2 cups)

• Step 1

  Preheat the oven to 350°. Brush the cut sides of the squash with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and season the cavities with salt and pepper. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes, until tender.

• Step 2

  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring 2 cups of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the raisins and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and let cool.

• Step 3

  In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and honey with the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the dressing to the quinoa along with the apple, shallot, garlic, mint and parsley and toss well. Add the arugula and toss gently.

• Step 4

  Set the squash halves on plates. Fill with the salad and serve.

Listen to The Pointer Sisters- Automatic

Harvesting Hard-Won Lessons // Ten Percent Weekly

Hi, Friends. I hope everyone enjoyed their Passover/Easter/Spring breaks. It feels great to be back here today. Not writing new content over the holiday is something I don’t think I’ve ever done (maybe once?) since starting the blog, and it felt lovely and wise to take a well earned rest. The time away gave me much to contemplate, some of which I’ll share in the coming weeks, but I just read this article that I had to pass along. It’s so important on many levels, and I was really impacted by it. It’s from the good folks at Ten Percent Happier, a wonderful resource from teacher and author Dan Harris. Ten Percent Happier is a terrific podcast featuring wisdom and insight from countless teachers. I really recommend it. When I’m feeling off, I like to take walks to a podcast or talk that I know will help balance me out. Walk, breathe, listen, walk, breathe, listen. This way I get my physical, mental, and spiritual exercise at the same time (alignment). This is an activity I literally never regret; it’s a great way to be really good to myself.

Please enjoy this insightfully inquisitive article from Dr Jay Michaelson. The timing to have read this, for me, couldn’t be better. It’s essentially an individual dive into an emotional and mental overview over the past year of the pandemic, as we begin to see signs of change and integration. There are some great tools for guiding ourselves through the ever changing tides of life.

Ten Percent Weekly

The Pandemic's Harvest

By Jay Michaelson

The pandemic is changing again. And for once... maybe?... for the better.

Of course, we’re not out of the woods yet, with new variants and still-high numbers. But whether you’ve been vaccinated yet or not, you don’t have to be a mindfulness expert to notice the shift in our national mood, and maybe in your own too.

I want to suggest that these months of transition are a uniquely valuable time. Yes, they are awkward, hopeful, anxious, and more, all at once. But they are also a time for harvest.

We’ve all been challenged in the past year. Collectively, we’ve experienced loss, anxiety, isolation, grief, boredom, anger, fear—you name it, really. Yet we have also seen our own resilience, and that of others. We’ve grown in ways we didn’t want to grow. As much as we have shut down, there are also ways in which we’ve opened up.

Now is the right time to begin to gather and integrate some of the unwanted lessons of the past year. When things were tougher, it might have been too difficult--and it might be too difficult for you now, in which case, don’t rush! But when things get easier, we might want to just leave all of this behind. So right now could be your best opportunity to gather in some of the fruits of the Covid year. Here are a few prompts to consider.

1. The Body Remembers

Check in with your body. What physical feelings are predominant? Can you try tuning into those feelings, whether they’re pleasant or not, and noticing them, like a witness? Can you remember how the body felt at different times during the past year, both high and low? Take a moment to remember and re-embody those times. And then: what tools or techniques were helpful to you (yoga, meditation, nutrition, exercise)? Where did you fall down? (Don’t worry, we all did.) Consider journaling some of this, reflecting on the evolution of this past year with your physical being as a prism.

2. What Helped?

Now let’s move to the level of the heart. What were some of the most difficult moments of the past year, and how did you get through them? Maybe summon one up right now--I’ve got mine--and bring yourself back to it for a moment. And then, as before: what were the resources, inner and outer, that helped you get through? Meditation? A friend? Chocolate? Consider journaling this too. The point is to remember what worked for you (and what didn’t) so that you can turn to it next time life is hard. You’ve been forced to cultivate resilience this past year; don’t forget how you did it.

3. How Did It Feel?

And then, to the mind. See if you can remember how your mind felt at moments of resilience, openness, or sheer endurance. (I’ve stolen this little meditation from Dr. Rick Hanson, who wrote about it in this newsletter last summer.) Remember when you hit a tough place—a relative in the hospital, kids having serious challenges, a job loss, loneliness. Hang out there for a bit. But then fast-forward a little bit to when you emerged from it (even if you fell back later, that’s fine). What did the mind feel like when it was brave, or loving, or fierce? Re-inhabiting these mental states can help the mind become more familiar with them. For example, the brain physically learns what courage is when you revisit it over and over again. So, perhaps in a formal meditation session, take your mind on a tour of the past. Re-inhabit those helpful mind-states, knowing that you’re carving those neural pathways so that the brain can more easily find them next time. (I paraphrase, of course.)

4. What Mattered?

Finally, let’s look at the transpersonal and interpersonal. Who and what really mattered to you over the pandemic? Which friends showed up, and which ones disappeared? (You’re not here to judge the disappearing ones, of course, just noticing and taking stock.) What gave you purpose? What was hard to give up, and what was surprisingly easy?

These are just some starters. Feel free to share your own questions and prompts in the feedback session. Let’s go through this transition together.

To be sure, none of this is to suggest that the pandemic is all for the best; however valuable, these lessons are not worth the terrible losses that have taken place. And of course, if you’re not ready to harvest just yet, don’t! That, itself, is useful to notice.

Also, be prepared for this transition to be choppy! Most transitions are. You may find, for example, that stuff you’d put on the back burner for a year may suddenly come up once again. You may find social interactions awkward, and uneven; we may do this together, but we’re all going to do it in our own ways and at our own paces. We’ve been living weird, altered, and often warped lives for a long time. All of this, as they say in the meditation business, is grist for the mill.

To close, I’m reminded of some of the best advice I received at the end of a long meditation retreat, from Sharon Salzberg: “Grow wise in the transition.” The transition is part of the process. This is what is happening. And there are a lot of fruits to harvest that can be of great value in our lives.

Spiced & Diced Potatoes

The spice used here is Garam Masala, a wonderful Indian spice blend. I love potatoes pretty much cooked any way. The dice, spice, fresh parsley, and plating them individually in small bowls made for a nice presentation. Jazzing up a standard side is a great trick, especially for a holiday like Passover in which side dish options are limited due to religious dietary restrictions. For a festive holiday meal, I like to pre plate my entree and then pass around a few additional dishes on trays. The little servings seen here in the pretty white bowls work so well for that.

Ingredients:
6 to 8 cups diced, unpeeled potatoes. I used a combo of red and Idaho. Do not use sweet since as I learned the hard way, they’ll turn to mush.
2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground pepper
Good I’ve oil
1/4 cup white cooking wine, plus more on hand
1/3 cup veg broth, plus more on hand
2 tsp Garam Masala spice blend
Cup packed, finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat 400. Place the diced potatoes in a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Mix well, transfer to a pan, cover tightly, and bake for 40 minutes. Steaming the potatoes takes care of most of the cooking process. When done, let cool slightly then gently shake the potatoes and move them with a spatula to loosen.

In a wide pot, heat 3 tbsp olive oil. Add the broth, wine, potatoes, and spice. Combine gently. Cover and cook on medium low for 15 minutes, stirring gently a couple times. Add two more tbsp each of wine and broth to deglaze pan if it gets dry and potatoes start to stick, no problem if that happens. Uncover for an additional 5 minutes, stirring gently once more and letting some steam release. Remove from heat. The potatoes will look lightly coated with the spice/liquid mixture.

Add the cup of finely chopped parsley and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste, though I didn’t; the spice and parsley were enough flavor for me. If making this in advance, gently reheat potatoes then add the parsley and another hit of olive oil before serving.

Army of 1

VERY into this new take on monochrome. As we begin to transition seasons, heavy parkas no longer make sense. However temperatures can still be cold, and they sure are in the New York area. The weather, in keeping with everything else about this past year, has been unpredictable and completely bonkers. I love the idea of a big, cozy sweater as outerwear. Still not going anywhere, but if I was, I’d just wear the sweater instead of a coat and remove it as needed, revealing a slip dress of the same army green underneath. This Dannijo slip dress is a favorite piece of mine. It pairs so well with this giant sweater I’ve had forever, as well as with these old Jimmy Choo shoes that didn’t fit me for about ten years (post pregnancy feet which shockingly shrunk back this year. Who knew?). I love how the sweater not only keeps me warm, but adds a touch of cool casual to an otherwise dressy, nighttime look. The low side part bun and one statement earring drove it home for me, evoking all the aforementioned vibes.