Australian School of Meditation and Yoga - Becoming a Vegetarian

Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad

2010-05-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 green paw paw, julienne
1/2 cup snow peas, cut into strips
1 carrot, grated
1/2 daikon radish, grated
1 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup coriander leaves chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup Vietnamese mint (common mint can be substituted)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tbsp peanut oil (or sesame oil)
juice of 2 limes (lemons can be substituted)

Method

Place the last six ingredients into a jar and shake well to make the sauce.
Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, pour sauce and mix well.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!!

INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE - 29th May 2010

2010-05-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

Our next full day lifestyle workshop will be on the 29th May 2010 from 10am-4pm and features Indian head massage.

Indian head massage originated in India over 1000 years ago and is a part of the Ayurveda health system still followed today.

This wonderfully relaxing massage not only works on the scalp, but the, shoulders, upper back, upper arms, neck ears and face. The technique is gentle and rhythmical, involving acupressure points. Different Ayurvedic oils were traditioanlly used, but are now considered to be an option.

Indian head massage can help to relieve eyestrain, sleep problems, ease headaches, relax muscles, stimulate circulation to the scalp and hair, stimulate blood flow and lymphatic circulation, boost the immune system, relieve sinus problems and reduce stress and anxiety.

Included in the day is meditation, relaxation, chi-kung and a delicious vegetarian buffet lunch. Cost is $45 including a guided meditation CD and meditation pack.

Call 3895 8944 for more information or email me at brisbane@asm.org.au

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga - West End

Moroccan Delights - Vegetarian Cooking Class

2010-05-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Coming up on 26th June 2010 is our Moroccan Delights vegetarian cooking class. It is not to be missed. We will be demonstrating 8 delicious rustic dishes. All are unusual, but absolutely delicious. We are really excited to share what we have learned with you, so don't leave it til the last minute to book your place as spaces are already limited. The class starts at 2pm Saturday 26th June and finishes at about 6pm.

See you there!

Gayatri and the gang
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga
West End

Yoga Alignment Workshop

2010-04-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone ,

Coming up on the 8^th May we have a Stretching and alignment workshop with Sean. Sean has a background in Traditional Chinese medicine and is an avid practitioner of Yoga and the Chinese exercise system (Chi Gong). Sean has studied anatomy and physiology throughout his life and would like to share with you the knowledge he has gained.

The class runs from 12pm-2pm and is run by donation. This class will give you the tools to make intelligent choices in your practice, therefore helping to improve the quality of your practice. You will learn how to reduce bad habits by looking at the complete structure of your body including the Back, feet , hips and neck . This class is perfect for beginners to intermediates, hope to see you there?

Namaste

Simon

2010-04-16T04:13:00.000-07:00

Three Day Lifestyle Retreat

Coming up on the Anzac long weekend is a delightful retreat getaway set in the refreshing Hinterland Hills, 1.5hrs south from Brisbane. A secluded, tranquil filled environment in which to relax and unwind.

Our life enriching program includes:

Hatha Yoga
Kirtan
Yoga Philosophy
MeditationDelicious
Vegetarian meals
Relaxation and Breathing
Indian Head Massage Workshop

$395 per person includes all gourmet meals, shared cabin style accommodation, yoga classes, and workshops. If you would like to book email candace@asm.org.au, there are only a few spots left! Visit our blog in the coming weeks to hear about the stories and happenings from our yoga retreat, it’s sure to be a TREAT! Can’t wait.

Namaste
Simon (yoga instructor)

Vegetarian Cooking Classes 2010

2009-11-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

We have been getting a lot of enquiries as to when our 2010 cooking classes are on. We will be holding 5 vegetarian cooking classes next year and they will be as follows:

Feb: 27th Authentic Vietnamese
April: 17th Tastes of the Himalayas
June: 26th Moroccan Delights
August: 28th Exotic Indian
Oct: 23rd Thai Temptations

Classes are held from 2-6pm, cost is $35 and includes recipe sheets and full buffet meal. For enquiries please call 3895 8944 or email us at brisbane@asm.org.au

Namaste
Gayatri

Malpoora Soft Cakes in Yoghurt

2009-07-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

2 ¼ cups self-raising flour
1 cup icing sugar
1 ¼ cups cold water
ghee for deep frying
5 cups natural yoghurt, chilled
¾ cup caster sugar
1 ½ cups strawberries, washed and quartered

· Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Add the water gradually, stirring with a wire whisk until the mixture reaches a consistency somewhere between batter and dough. Spoon in 1 tablespoon of yoghurt and whisk again. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.

· Heat the ghee with a depth of 7cm to moderately low heat 160C.

· Spoon a tablespoon of batter from the bowl and scrape it into the ghee with a second spoon. Quickly do this for about 6 cakes at a time in the ghee. Allow the cakes to inflate and then roll them over with a slotted spoon to fry for about 3 – 4 minutes until they are golden brown all over. Remove and drain. Fry more batches until the batter is used up.

· Combine the yoghurt and cater sugar in a bowl. Crush a few strawberries into the yoghurt with your fingers and then add the other strawberries and mix through.

· Carefully fold the fried cakes into the fruit yoghurt and refrigerate about 30 minutes before serving.

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Pushpanna (Flower Rice)

2009-06-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

225g fresh ricotta cheese

2/4 cup cashews or blanched almonds

11/2 cups grated coconut

6 tbs ghee

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

6 cardamom pods, bruised

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp grated nutmeg

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp asafetida

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground cloves

2 cups basmati rice

¾ cup raisins

3 ½ cups water

½ cup sugar

1 tbs salt

* Cube the ricotta cheese and fry until golden brown and drain well
* Toast the grated coconut in 2 tablespoons of the ghee and set aside
* Fry the nuts and drain well
* Heat the remaining ghee and when it begins to smoke, toss in the fennel, cumin, bay leaves and cardamom
* After 30 seconds add all the powdered spices and stir-fry for a few seconds
* Add the rice and stir until the grains are translucent and lightly browned
* Add the fried ricotta cheese, raisins, sugar, salt and water and mix gently
* Bring to the boil covered with a tightly fitted lid and simmer for 5 minutes and turn the heat off leaving to steam for 20 minutes
* Add the fried nuts and coconut and mix gently before serving

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Ayurveda Workshop

2009-05-13T03:35:00.000-07:00

Coming up on the 23^rd of this Month is our Full Day Lifestyle Workshop which will be featuring Ayurveda. Ayurveda is an ancient form of herbal medicine that is becoming so popular in the west that doctors are actually studying it and complimenting their medical practices with it. However Ayurveda doesn’t only cover herbal medicine, it is complete, healthy lifestyle which includes diet, relaxation, yoga and meditation. In this workshop you will learn your body constitution or dosha as well as foods and lifestyle that compliment your body type as well as meditation, breathing, relaxation, yoga, chi-kung and a delicious Ayurvedic buffet style lunch.

Make sure your get in early as places are booking fast. For more information contact Candace on 38958944 or email us at brisbane@asm.org

Indonesian Vegetarian Cooking Class

2009-04-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

Make sure you have your seat reserved for our next vegetarian cooking class which is Indonesian. Anna, from Indonesia is one of our volunteers and has organised a wonderful traditional menu of some of the food she has enjoyed all her life. The class will start at 2pm and go through until 5 or 6pm when the buffet dinner is served out. Please make sure that you aren't going out for dinner afterwards as you'll be sorry. For more information please contact Candace on 3895 8944 or email me at gauranga@optunet.com.au.

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Deep Fried Taro Cakes

2009-04-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

· 200g taro
· 1 white sweet potato
· 1 potato
· 1 handful coriander (chopped)
· 4 spring onions (chopped)
· ¼ teaspoon salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
· Plan flour for dusting
· Vegetable oil for deep frying

1. Bring water to the boil in the bottom of the steamer. Meanwhile peel the taro, sweet potato and potato and cut them into chunks of the same size.

2. Place the vegetables on the steaming tray and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the knife can be easily poked through the flesh.

3. Place the cooked vegetables in a food processor and combine the coriander, spring onion, salt and pepper.

4. Using damp fingers, form the mixture into thick croquettes about 7cm long. The mixture should make approx 24 cakes.

5. Lightly dust in flour and deep fry for approx 4-5mins or until golden.

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Red Lentil Dhal with eggplant

2009-03-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

2 cups (400g) red lentils
1 litre (4 cups) water
2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or ghee
3 baby eggplants (500g), chopped coarsely
2 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil or ghee
1 medium brown onion (150g), chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon of chili flakes
2 large tomato’s (500g), chopped coarsely

• Rinse lentils in large colander under cold water until water runs clear.
• Add lentils to the water and stock bring to a boil in a large heavy based pot. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for about 40minutes or until dhal mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.
• Heat two tablespoons of oil or ghee in a heavy-based saucepan; cook eggplant until lightly browned and soft.
• Add eggplant and tomato paste to dhal.
• Heat two teaspoons of oil or ghee in the saucepan and cook onion. Add garlic first, then mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ground cumin and chili flakes.
• Add tomato’s to saucepan and mix then add to dhal pot.
• Serve with fresh coriander and a dollop of natural yogurt.
• Optional: squeeze the juice of one fresh lemon over the dhal and stir before serving

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

2009-03-06T01:52:00.000-08:00

Following on from our posts for "How to make a good chutney", here is some information in general ingredients used in chutneys that you should become familiar with.

· Vinegar (malt, white or wine) – This is an important ingredient used to make a fantastic tasting chutney, however often tamaring is used in Indian chutneys to give that lovely sour taste. Make sure that you use high quality vinegar or tamarind. If you are using vinegar it must have acetic content of at least 5%.
· Sugar - raw or brown. Brown sugar gives a darker colour to the chutney that is often preferred. Prolonged cooking of any sugar does, however, have a darkening effect on the chutney and, if a lighter colour is wanted, the sugar should only be added when the fruit and/or vegetables are already soft and mushy.
· Spices – generally whole spices are preferable in chutney-making than ground ones which can give a muddy appearance to the chutney. Bruise these and tie them up in a muslin bag and cook with the other ingredients. Often I just throw in the whole spices and then remove them later. Some recipes call for a mixture of both whole and ground spices to give the best flavour, so it all really depends on the recipe that you use.

Next post we will be discussing different problems that you can come accross in chutney making.

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Caribbean Cooking Class Saturday 21st February 2009

2009-02-24T02:04:00.001-08:00

We held our Caribbean cooking class last Saturday to a very enthusiastic audience. Altogether 9 dishes were demonstrated including:

Tofu Coconut Soup
Okra Fried Rice
Quinoa Salad with Citrus Dressing
Eggplants Stuffed with Sweet Potato
Pumpkin Coconut Curry
Mango, tomato and red onion salad
Coconut ice cream
Tapioca Pudding
Pina Colada Granita Smoothie

Over the next few weeks I will be posting all the recipes that we domonstrated in the cooking class, so keep your eyes peeled.

Gayatri

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Vegetarian Caribbean Class

2009-02-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

Today is the day we will be holding our vegetarian Caribbean cooking class. You will learn to cook 8 delicious, mouth watering recipes that you get to savour during the buffet meal served at the end of the demonstration.

How much? $35
Time? 2-6pm
Where? 23 Kurilpa Street West End
Contact? Candace on 3895 8944

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Equipment Required for Making Chutney

2009-02-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

In a previous post, we discussed the origin of chutneys and how you can dress up a dhal or curry with a good chutney. We also gave some tips on other ways of serving chutneys, such as as a dip platter with a variety of chutneys, sour cream or natural yoghurt and chapatis or naan bread. In this post we will give some tips on they equipment needed for making chutneys and some ideas on adding flavours and preserving chutneys. I'll also be giving you a delicious chutney recipe.

Equipment needed:
• A stainless steel or enamel-lined pan that is large enough to contain all the ingredients (if you’re also a big jam maker it may be well worth in investing in a preserving pan). Brass, copper or iron pans should not be used as they react with the vinegar and give a metallic flavour to the chutney.
• Long-handled wooden spoon – this should be reserved for chutney-making only as the wood becomes impregnated with the spiciness of the chutney and will taint other recipes.
• Sieves – stainless steel or nylon
• Heatproof jug or wide necked stainless steel funnel - a heatproof glass, stainless steel or enamel jug is useful for pouring the chutney into the jars. Alternatively a wide necked stainless steel funnel or a large ladle can be used.
• Muslin or cotton squares – to tie up whole spices wanted for flavourings.
• Scales – preferably dual marked in metric and imperial.
• Chopping boards and stainless steel knife.
• Heat proof jars of assorted sizes. These should be clean, dry, sterilized and warm before pouring in the chutney. To sterilize the jars just before filling, put into a "cool" oven, 140°C.
• Covers – these are most important. Vinegar corrodes metal, so use plastic screw or snap-on type or plastic preserving skin. Specialist preserving or bottling jars are suitable, either with screw-on or clip-on lid, providing the lid is made of glass.
• Labels – For the front of the jars to identify the chutney and the date made.

Kerala Mango Achar (Mango chutney)

Mangoes-2 Cut into small square pieces
chilli pwd-4 T
salt-3T
Asafoetida-1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric pwd-1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds-1/2 teaspoon
Oil -1 T

Heat oil in a pan.
To that add mustard seeds.
When it pops reduce heat to low and add chilli pwd, salt, asafoetida, turmeric and stir for about 3 min.

Turn off the heat.
Let it cool for a while.

Add this mixture to the cut mangoes and mix thoroughly.

Keep this for 7-8 days for the flavour to seep into mangoes.

You can add a little bit of distilled vinegar if you like.It will help to keep the freshness.

Gayatri

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Parathas (buttery unleavened bread)

2009-02-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

Paratha Ingredients:
· 4 cups of white flour or Whole Wheat Bread Flour - fine ground
· ½ tsp Salt
· Water, preferably warm (makes softer bread)
· 250g ghee or butter

Equipment:
· Bowl
· Rolling pin
· Cast Iron frying pan
· Heat source
· Cookie sheet or baking paper for putting the uncooked rolled out parathas on
· Dish or cake pan for putting cooked parathas on
· Foil to keep them warm

Method:
· Mix sifted flour and salt in a bowl
· Pour in enough water to make a soft dough (will depend on the flour) you can easily knead without having to add too much flour to the board or counter.
· Knead for a few minutes using additional flour to avoid sticking until the dough is smooth and elastic.
· Place the dough back in the bowl, spread it out, poke some holes in with your finger, and pour a little more (warm, or not is okay) water on the dough, cover, and let sit while you go do something else. This step is not necessary but makes the bread more tender.
· Come back and re-knead the dough just for a minute or two until it's smooth and cohesive.
· Chop or cut the dough into equal small egg-sized pieces
· Sprinkle a little flour on them to keep them from drying out.
· Take each segment of dough and roll into a round ball in your palms - either one by one as you roll them out with the rolling pin, or all at once.
· Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough a few mm thick.
· Brush some ghee, melted butter or oil over half the circle, and fold it over.
· Roll it out carefully again (it will form a sort of rounded triangle) and brush ghee over half of that, fold over, and roll out a bit again.
· Now, put a little ghee in the frying pan and fry the paratha in a sort of similar way, on medium heat - pressing/rubbing it a bit with a good sized spoon, and then turning over once or twice.

These puff up a little and usually get some dark brown spots here and there. Keep warm until ready to eat.

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation an Yoga

Indian Chutneys - A Great Way to Dress up a Curry!

2009-02-06T22:17:00.000-08:00

At the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga we often make delicious chutneys in our vegetarian cooking classes. Chutneys originaged in India and because we have quite a few Indian Vegetarian cooking classes, it is almost always part of the menu. Chutney's are a wonderful way to dress up any Indian dish.
Serve curries with a small bowl of natural yoghurt and of course one of the many different chutney recipes. There are so many varieties to choose from; pineapple, mango, peach, plum, apple, date and tamerind, tomato, fig, corriander, coconut and the list goes on. Add some bombay chips (made from chickpea flour - hot spicey and absolutely moorish), an ice cold strawberry or mango lassi on the side and instead of plain old curry and rice, you have an absolute feast. A great way to impress your guests with very little effort.
Dhals can also be dressed up with the above items and a light lunch or dinner idea would be to serve a bowls of chutneys and yoghurt with chapatis, puries or naan bread, or all three, as an Indian version of a dip platter. Dip platter are very popular now and are served at many restaurants and cafes, so try something a little different, an Indian version.

How to make good Chutney at Home
Chutneys originated in India – the name derived from the Hindu word chatni – but are now a very popular preserve all over the world. They are made from fruits or vegetables, or a mixture of the two, which are chopped, cooked, mixed with spices, vinegar and other ingredients and reduced to a smooth pulp. Unlike jam making, windfall apples, green tomatoes and other end-of-season fruit such as rhubarb can be used as there is no worry about the setting qualities. Dried fruit, especially grapes, in the form of raisins (dried white grapes usually of the variety 'Muscatel') sultanas (small raisins that are seedless, sweet, pale golden in colour) and currants (dried, black, seedless grapes) are commonly used. The scope of chutneys is endless and the combinations and permutations can be varied according to personal taste and the ingredients available. They can be sweet, sour, hot or mild. A big advantage to both fruit and vegetable chutneys is that they improve with age and, if properly stored, will remain in good condition for years.

Banana and Apricot Smoothie

2009-02-05T03:16:00.000-08:00

250g fresh apricots
Large ripe banana
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Honey to taste

Blend all ingredients together until smooth and frothy

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation

Matar Dal Bara (split-pea croquettes)

2009-02-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

2 ½ cups plain yoghurt
1 ¾ cups green or yellow split-peas
2 tbs chopped coriander or parsley leaves
2 tbs grated fresh ginger
2 tbs ground coriander
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 fresh green chilli, seeded and minced
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp asafetida
5 tsp salt
4 ¼ cups warm water
ghee for deep-frying

· Soak the split-peas overnight in water twice their volume and drain well
· Blend the split-peas in an electric blender, adding just enough fresh water to make a very thick paste, scrape past into a bowl
· Add half of each spice to the paste, along with 1 teaspoon of the salt, mix well and set aside
· Reserve a teaspoon of the remaining salt and dissolve the rest into the warm water, set the water aside.
· Heat the ghee over medium heat, moisten your ands and form the paste into small patties
· Fry them in the ghee turning once or twice until they are nicely browned on all sides
· Remover the patties and let them drain over the ghee for a moment, then drop them into the salted water to soak for AT Least 15 minutes
· Combine the yoghurt with the remaining spices and salt in a bowl mixing well
· After the baras have soaked, remove them from the salted water and place them in a serving bowl, cover with the spiced yoghurt
· Bake in moderate oven for 20-30 minutes

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation

Aloo-Bonda (battered potato balls)

2009-02-02T01:56:00.000-08:00

Batter
100g baisen flour (chick pea flour)
Salt
Pinch of baking powder
¼ teaspoon chilli powder
150 mls water
Ghee for deep frying

Filling
500g potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
2.5cm ginger root, peeled and finely grated or chopped
1-2 green chillis, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Freshly gound black pepper to taste
Salt
2 teaspoons dry mango powder

· Sift flour and salt together with baking powder and chilli powder
· Add water and mix well to make a smooth batter
· If the batter is too thick add a little extra water
· If it is too thin add extra sifted baisen flour
· Put aside to rest
· In a large bowl, put cubed potates, coriander, ginger, chillis and lemon juice
· Mix well and sprinkle with pepper, salt and mango powder
· Mix well and take a small lump to form a smooth ball the size of a gold ball
· Mould remaining mixture in the same way.
· Heat oil and dip potato bonda in baisen batter
· Coat well and slide into ghee
· Fry a few at a time until the bonda are golden brown
· Drain on kitchen paper
· Serve hot

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation

Pina Colada Smoothie

2009-01-30T03:24:00.000-08:00

1 cup coconut milk fresh or canned
1/4 fresh pineapple pieces
4-6 berries of your choice
Honey to taste (optional)
Ice

Place all ingredients into a blender and process until smooth and fluffy. Serve over ice.

Breakfast Smoothies - A Healthy Way to Start the Day

2009-01-28T01:54:00.000-08:00

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting some delicious smoothies that you can whip up in no time, for breakfast, for the kids or any time of day for healthy snack. Smoothies are filling, tasty and packed with nutrition and they are a great way to get more fruit into your diet.

Coconut and Apricot Smoothie

250g Fresh apricots de-seeded
1 cup coconut
A small handful of berries of your choice
Honey to taste (optional)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and fluffy. If you like your smoothy really cold, you can freeze the apricot flesh and blend while still frozen. Alternatively you can add some ice cubes during or after the blending process.

Enjoy!!!

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Moroccan Recipes

2009-01-27T03:39:00.000-08:00

Well that wraps it up for the recipes demonstrated at our Moroccan Delights vegetarian cooking class held in 2009. Next I will be posting recipes from our Exotic Indian cooking class. These recipes are very delicious and were a hit at the cooking class.

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation

Semolina Slice (Basboosa, Namoura or Harisi)

2009-01-25T02:38:00.000-08:00

Cake:

1 kg coarse ground semolina
2 ½ cups sugar
1 cup soy milk
125g Nuttelex (or other vegan spread of your choice)
¼ cup blanched almonds

Sugar Syrup:

3 cups water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons orange blossom water

Method:

1. Make sugar syrup by combining the water, juice and sugar in a saucepan. Stir to dissolve sugar, bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer 20 minutes until syrup reduces to about 2 ½ cups. Cool and then add orange blossom water.
2. Preheat oven to 150C. Grease a 20 x 30cm lamington pan.
3. Combine the semolina and sugar in a large bowl. Melt the Nuttelex and then pour it and the soymilk into the bowl with the semolina and sugar. Stir well to combine.
4. Spread the mixture into the pan and smooth the top. Press almonds into top in an array.
5. Bake uncovered for 1 hour 20 minutes until golden brown and slightly firm to the touch.
6. Cut the slice while it is still hot from the oven so that there is an almond on each slice and then pour the syrup evenly over the slice. Cool in the pan.

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation

Moroccan Spinach Fatayer

2009-01-21T03:07:00.000-08:00

Pastry:

7 cups self raising flour

½ cup olive oil

1 tsp dry yeast

1 ½ tsp salt

cold water

Dissolve yeast in a tablespoon of tepid water
Stir in olive oil, flour and salt
Add enough cold water to make a stiff dough
Cover and let stand 30 minutes while you prepare the filling
Roll out on floured board
Cut with biscuit cutter
Put a tablespoon of filling on each pastry
Fold edged up into a triangular shape
Press edges together
If the juice from the filling gets onto the edges dust with flour
Place on well oiled baking sheet and bake in hot oven until very lightly browned

Filling:

2 large bunches English spinach

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup chopped raisins or dates

4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons ground sumac

Wash spinach
Shake to dry
Chop finely
Mix with other ingredients

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Moroccan Mock Chicken with Lemon and Olives

2009-01-19T03:54:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
½ packet of mock chicken pieces
8 potatoes – cut into chunks
Pinch of salt
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
Peel from 1lemon, rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, peel cut into thin strips
1 cup green olives, pitted
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Method:
1. Combine all the spices in a large bowl. Place the mock chicken pieces in a bowl, coat well with the spice mixture. Let the mock chicken stand for one hour in the spices.
2. In a large, heavy bottomed pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the mock chicken pieces, and potatoes, sprinkle lightly with salt (go easy on the salt, the olives and lemons are salty), and brown, skin side down for five minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and onions. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.
3. Turn the mock chicken pieces over. Add the lemon slices, olives, raisins, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the mock chicken is cooked through and the pumpkin is quite tender.
Mix in fresh parsley and cilantro right before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve with couscous or rice.

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Moroccan Chickpea Patties

2009-01-18T02:35:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb, chopped (stalks and core discarded, roughly 1-1/2 - 2 cups)
1⁄8 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 medium clove garlic, chopped
1-1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil for purée
2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄4 teaspoon cumin
3⁄4 teaspoon paprika
1⁄8 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄3 - 1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup good quality breadcrumbs (see note)
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1⁄8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil for frying patties
Method:
1. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the fennel, salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook for another 5 minutes or until the fennel has softened. Remove from heat.
2. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas with the garlic, vinegar, olive oil, ginger, salt, cumin, paprika and cinnamon and purée until the mixture becomes smooth (scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed). If still a little chunky, add a touch more oil or water, and purée again until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and stir in the fennel/red pepper mixture and green onions. Stir through to combine well. If you have the time, refrigerate for at least an hour—the mixture will firm up and be easier to shape.
3. Mix the breadcrumbs, sesame seeds and sea salt, and pour onto a plate. Take a mound of the chickpea mixture (roughly 1/3 cup) and form patties; then dip both sides in the breadcrumb mixture.
4. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and fry the patties for about 7-9 minutes on each side, until lightly browned (flip only once or twice to prevent breaking up patties).
Note: For a wheat-free version, make your own breadcrumbs using wheat-free bread.

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Pumpkin and Bean Tagine

2009-01-15T03:30:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

20g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium brown onions (300g), chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4cm piece fresh ginger (20g), grated
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1kg pumpkin, chopped coarsely
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock
400 green beans, cut into 5cm lengths
1/3 cup (55g) sultanas
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint

Method:

1. Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan, cook onion and garlic, stirring, 5 minutes. Add ginger, spices and rind, cook about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add pumpkin, undrained tomatoes and stock; bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until pumpkin is just tender.
2. Add beans to tagine mixture, cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir sultanas, honey and chopped herbs through tagine off the heat just before serving with couscous.

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Spiced Moroccan Rice

2009-01-14T03:05:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

300g butter
1 medium brown onion (150g), chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 cardamom pods, bruised
½ cinnamon stick
2 cups (400g) basmati rice
1 cup (250ml) vegetable stock
1 cup (250ml) water
¼ cup (40g) roasted pine nuts

Method:

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion, garlic, cardamom and cinnamon; cook, stirring, without browning, until onion is softened. Add rice; stir to coat in butter mixture.
2. Stir in stock and the water; bring to a boil then simmer, covered, about 15minutes or until stock is absorbed.
3. Remove from heat; stand, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in nuts.

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Orange & Radish Salad

2009-01-07T03:34:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

6 large seedless oranges (1.8kg)
4 large red radish (200g), sliced thinly
½ small red onion (50g), sliced thinly
1 cup (180g) kalamata olives, seeded

Lemon Dressing:

1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon white sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon orange flower water
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:
1. Combine ingredients for lemon dressing in screw-top jar; shake well.
2. Peel oranges, removing white pith; slice thinly.
3. Overlap alternative slices of orange and radish around edge of serving plate; overlap remaining slices in centre. Top with onion and olives; drizzle with dressing.

Prep time: 30 mins
Serves: 4

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Vegetarian Christmas Loaf

2008-12-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

This is a very tasty treat for Christmas day that the whole family will enjoy, vegetarians or non-vegetarians.

The Loaf:
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 x 400g cans brown lentils
1 cup soft tofu
4 tablespoons whole meal flour
200g mixed nuts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons water
· Sauté onion in a little olive oil until soft and transparent
· Mash lentils
· Blend tofu with flour
· Mix together onion, lentils, tofu mix, nuts, herbs and soy sauce

The Stuffing:
1 onion, finely chopped
250g whole wheat breadcrumbs
6 sage leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
· Sauté onion in oil until soft and transparent
· Mix with the breadcrumbs and sage

The Topping:
200g whole wheat breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
· Mix all ingredients together

To Assemble:
· On a baking dish lined with baking paper place half of the lentil mixture and mould into a loaf shape
· Place the stuffing mixture on top and then the other half of the lentil mixture, molding the loaf so that the stuffing is totally encased
· Top with the topping mixture
· Bake in a moderate oven for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Beetroot, Fennel and Lentil Salad

2008-12-03T02:17:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

3 medium beetroot (1.5 kg), trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb (300g)
400g can brown lentils, rinsed and drained
100g wild rocket leaves
200g fetta cheese, sliced thinly

Dressing:

½ cup (125 ml) olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp white sugar
2 tsp finely chopped fresh fennel fronds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C
2. Combine beetroot in small baking dish with oil. Bake for an hour or until tender. When cool, peel beetroot and chop coarsely.
3. Finely chop enough of the fennel fronds to make 2 tsp for the dressing. Slice the fennel bulb thinly.
4. Combine dressing ingredients in screw-top jar; shake well.
5. Toss fennel, lentils and rocket in a large bowl with half the dressing. Add beetroot; toss gently. Top with fetta; drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Preparation time 30 minutes, cooking time 1 hour, serves 6.

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Exotic Indian Vegetarian Cooking Class

2008-11-21T23:06:00.001-08:00

Next Saturday the 29th November we will be hosting our popular bi-monthly vegetarian cooking class. This months theme is Exotic Indian and we will be demonstrating nine mouth-watering dishes including, Dosha, Korma Curry with paneer, Indian bread, Malpuras with yoghurt, Red lentil and Eggplant Daal, chutney, Bharats, and Festival Rice. We finish the demonstration off with a lovely buffet meal so that you can savour the delicious dishes that have been cooked during the demonstration.

This is the last cooking class for the year, so don’t miss out, book early to avoid disappointment as these classes book up quickly.

Where: Australian School of Meditation and Yoga, 23 Kurilpa St, West End
When: Saturday 29th November 2-6pm
Contact: 3895 8944 for bookings

Vegetarian Moroccan Cooking Class

2008-11-15T20:23:00.001-08:00

Last month we held our Moroccan Delights Vegetarian Cooking class at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End. It was a great success attracting over 40 people. There were a few people who were disappointed because they couldn't make it along to the class so over the next few weeks I will be publishing the recipes from the class over the next few weeks. The recipes will include:

Beetroot, Fennel and Lentil Salad
Orange and Radish Salad
Spiced Rice
Pumpkin and Bean Tagine
Chickpea Patties
Mock Chicken with Lemon and Olives
Spinach Fatayer
Semolina Slice

Gayatri

Tea Master Buddhist Cafe

2008-10-27T02:51:00.000-07:00

Tea Master is a tiny little café on Wickham Street Fortitude Valley. It has some really tasty dishes, especially the mock duck with noodles, the Laksha soup and dumplings. The meals are a great size and very reasonably priced. The only downside is that the café closes really early at night, isn’t open on Sundays and the café itself is very small, so if it is crowded you feel a little claustrophobic. You can sit outside though but I find it noisy and polluted as Wickam street is very busy 24/7. Great for a quick bite though.

You can find Tea Master at shop 14/115 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley 07-32570038

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Pu Kwon – Vegetarian Restaurant

2008-10-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Our second favourite Buddhist restaurant in Brisbane is Pu Kwon. It is situated at 2796 Logan Road, Underwood, which is quite a central location for much of Brisbane. Pu Kwon is more of restaurant than a café. There is a huge menu which makes things more difficult because you’ll want to try everything, but it is great if you want to take your non-veg family members along. They definitely won’t feel like they are missing out on anything with dishes on the menu like lemon chicken, roast duck in Peking sauce and sweet and sour pork, just to name a few. Our family favourite entrees are radish cakes, radish puffs, chicken drumsticks and wonton soup. For mains, try the lemon chicken (pictured), fried eel in Peking sauce, taro fish, roast duck and sizzling pepper chicken. We have asked them to leave out MSG, and they will as much as possible, but a lot of the sauces used already have MSG added, so they can’t guarantee that the meals are all MSG free. You can call Pu Kwon on 3219 8984, they are opened for lunch and dinner every day except for Monday as they are closed that day.

Gayatri

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Buddhist Restaurants – Kuan Yin Tea House

2008-10-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

I love Buddhist food and so does my family and although we have tried most of the Buddhist cafes and restaurants around Brisbane, our favourite is definitely the Kuan Yin Tea House at 198 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley right opposite dragon gates in the China Town mall. I suppose the reason that we all like it so much is that the food is so fresh. The owners actually cook all the food themselves from scratch and it is MSG free. The menu is quite extensive but not overwhelming and even though we have tried most of the dishes we always go back to our favourites. The salt and pepper mock fish is my all time favourite main course with sticky rice timbale, toona wrap, battered sweet potato with plum seasoning as my choice of entrees. My son loves the Sweet and sour mock pork, fried dumplings and the Taiwanese fried mock chicken. My husband is easy and likes it all, but his favourite is the dumpling soup and the pepper and salt mock oysters.

We usually find that the total price for a very filling meal is approx. $15 per head, so it certainly is value for money. You’ll need to check the opening times because being a café it is not open very late at night and I know for a fact that it is closed on Tuesdays to give them a much needed break. If you want to contact the Kuan Yin Tea House you can call them on 32524557.

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

How Mock Meat Came to be!

2008-10-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

Long ago in China there was an emperor who was unnecessarily harsh, even to his own people. Some of his advisors were Buddhist monks who understood the connection between a person’s diet and their mental and physical health. They wanted the emperor to become vegetarian to help him become a more peaceful person, but they didn’t dare suggest that to him. Instead they designed a cuisine where they were able to recreate any meat dish using vegetarian ingredients. From roast duck to seafood, all the dishes were realistic in taste, appearance and texture. The emperor went on eating all his favourite dishes, never guessing that they were vegetable based. The story goes that over time his temper cooled and he became a much more peaceful person, benefitting himself and his subjects!

Gayatri
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Vegetarian Moroccan Delights

2008-09-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End is holding its bi-monthly vegetarian cooking class. The theme this month is Moroccan Delights. We will be demonstrating 8 delicious, mouthwatering recipes:

Beetroot, Fennel and Lentil Salad
Orange & Radish Salad
Spiced Rice
Pumpkin and Bean Tagine
Moroccan Chickpea PattiesMoroccan
Mock Chicken with Lemon and Olives
Moroccan Spinach Fatayer
Semolina Slice (Basboosa, Namoura or Harisi)

After the demonstration, we will be serving out the dishes buffet style, so you can taste the wonderful spices that these Moroccan dishes have to offer.

2-6pm
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga
23 Kurilpa Street
West End
3895 8944
gauranga@optusnet.com.au

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation

Coconut Sticky Rice with Adzuki Beans

2008-09-24T00:50:00.000-07:00

2 cups of glutinous rice, soaked for at least 1 hour in cold water
1-1/4 cups coconut milk
1-1/4 cups water
4 T sugar – either raw or dark brown
½ cup cooked Adzuki beans
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Pinch of salt

1/3 cup of shredded coconut – dry toasted till golden brown
extra coconut milk for serving + a little more sugar

Either small individual serving bowls, or a small tray. Line the tray or bowls with plastic ‘glad’ wrap.

• Drain the water from the soaking rice
• Place rice, water, coconut milk, sugar and salt into a pot
• Bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 8 minutes till all the liquid is absorbed into the rice
• Stir constantly while cooking.

Sweet Red Bean Pancakes

2008-09-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

You need:

Puff pastry

Red bean paste

To make the paste:

(makes 1 cup) –

The paste can be rolled into balls and coated in toasted coconut or served with sticky rice or ice cream etc.

1 cup dried adzuki beans

A pinch of sea salt

½ cup rice syrup / 1/3 cup palm sugar

1 tsp orange zest

2 drops vanilla essence

Sort through the beans discarding any stones
Soak overnight to shorten the cooking time
Drain and add fresh water to cover the beans
Cook for 30-45 minutes or until soft
Drain and puree in a food processor, adding the salt and syrup or sugar
Heat a frypan and sauté the puree for a few minutes, allowing most of the liquid to evaporate
Add the orange zest and vanilla
Then refrigerate.

To assemble the tart:

Take one sheet of puff pastry and spread 0.5 cm layer of red bean paste on it.
Place another sheet on top.
Repeat with another two sheets of pastry, until paste is used up.
Cut into triangles or diamonds and bake at 180 deg. for 20 minutes until golden brown.

From A Buddhist Feast held at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End

Buddha’s 5 Treasure Fried Rice

2008-09-17T01:20:00.001-07:00

Serves 4-6:

1.5 cups basmati rice
Half purple cabbage finely chopped
1.5 large carrots, grated
Fresh shallots thinly sliced
Fried shallots
2 table spoons Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)
6 table spoons soy sauce (light or dark to your taste)
3 cloves garlic
1 can of Mock duck, chopped and lightly fried in peanut oil before hand
peanut oil

· Boil Basmati til it is almost cooked. Remove from heat, drain and rinse. Set to one side. This is done instead of the reduced boiling method as rice needs to have seperate grains for fried rice.
· Chop mock duck into small cubes and lightly fry in peanut oil. Set aside and blot with paper towel to remove excess oil.
· place salty soy sauce, sweet soy, peanut oil and garlic in teflon coated wok. Fry at medium heat. Add cabbage, carrot, mock duck and fresh shallots and stir fry vigorously at medium to high heat.
· When carrot loses it's colour just a little (about 1 minute into stir frying) add cooked rice. Reduce heat to avoid sticking or burning to medium heat and stir fry, taking care to get the soy sauce through the rice evenly.
· You'll notice that the green of the shallots, the orange of the carrots and the purple of the cabbage will give it a wonderful colour.
· When rice has been frying and evenly stired through for about 2 minutes, add fried shallots and mix evenly, reduce heat to medium to low heat to avoid burning or drying out.
· Note: Basmati is a natural long grain rice that is low in GI and very easy to cook because it cooks relatively fast in comparison to other rices.

From A Buddhist Feast held at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End.

Mock Fish in Black Bean Sauce

2008-09-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

500g mock fish in bite-sized pieces
cornflour to dust mock fish
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1cm piece ginger root, slivered
pinch dried chilli flakes
100g sliced green beans
100g cauliflower pieces
100g sliced carrots
100g baby corn spears
100g straw mushrooms
100g mung bean sprouts
(Note – use vegetables to your taste preference, adding to approximately 2 cups total volume)
¼ cup black bean sauce
1 tablespoon Sesame oil
2 green onions, sliced

• Roll the mock fish pieces in cornflour to coat them.
• Heat the peanut oil in a hot wok or fry pan and sauté the fish pieces, stirring for a couple of minutes to brown them a little. Remove.
• Place the ginger in the wok with the chilli flakes and heat for one minute.
• Add the green beans, cauliflower and carrots and stir-fry about five minutes, until nearly cooked, but still firm. Add a little water if they seem too dry.
• Add the corn spears, mushrooms and mung bean sprouts. Stir through to heat all.
• Pour the black bean sauce over the vegetables in the wok and heat till bubbling.
• Add the sesame oil and the green onions and then remove from heat to serve immediately.

Sweet and Sour Vegetarian Chicken

2008-09-09T04:51:00.001-07:00

1 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

1 cup water chestnuts, chopped

1 green capsicum, diced

1 cucumber diced

1 carrot, diced

1 440g can pineapple with syrup

¼ cup tomato sauce

½ cup sugar

½ cup vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

Massell Stock cube

2 tablespoons arrowroot mixed with ½ cup water

1 pkt Vegetarian Chicken nuggets, oven fried

· Fry the ginger in the oil

· Add all the vegetables and can of pineapple with syrup

· Add tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce to the vegetables

· Bring to the boil and then simmer until vegetables are tender

· Place chicken pieces into the vegetables and sauce

· Add the arrowroot mixed with water and simmer until thickened

Nine Jewel Buddhist Hot Pot (Lo Han Jai)

2008-09-08T05:04:00.000-07:00

1 packet fresh shitake mushrooms (approximately 8-10 whole mushrooms) or you can buy dried – use 8-10 whole soaked for 30 minutes in hot water.

½ packet oyster mushrooms

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 small can sliced bamboo shoots – drained

1 can sliced water chestnuts – drained

1 carrot – julienned

1 bunch (3) bok choi

2 massel chicken-like stock cubes dissolved in 3 cups hot water

1 cake thin noodles – rice or mung

1 large 750g block regular firm tofu – deep fried in peanut oil

16 snow peas – strings removed – julienned

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablspoons arrowroot or cornflour, mixed well with 4-5 tablespoons cold water

· Remove stems from shitake mushrooms and cut the stems finely

· In a wok, stir-fry mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, carrot in peanut oil on high for 4 minutes.

· Add stock and bean threads. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.

· Add tofu, snow peas, bean sprouts, bok choy and soy sauce. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in arrowroot or cornflour mixture and continue to cook until sauce thickens.

· Serve hot

Stir Fried Noodles with peanuts and sweetcorn

2008-09-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

125g dried thin rice noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves crushed
250g sweetcorn
250g pointed cabbage, finely sliced
1 small red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced
2 ½ tablespoons shoyu or tamari sauce
60ml light coconut milk
100g roasted, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
Coriander sprigs, to garnish

Method

1. Put the rice noodles in a bowl of boiling water, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes for them to soften. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over a high heat until piping hot. Add the garlic, ginger and curry paste and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the spices become fragrant.

3. Add the sweetcorn, cabbage and red pepper and stir fry for about 5 minutes or until the cabbage has started to soften and wilt.

4. Add the shoyu or tamari sauce and coconut milk. Stir to mix, then toss in the rice noodles and stir-fry until the noodles have warmed through.

5. Turn off the heat and gently stir in the peanuts, coriander leaves, spring onions and lime juice. Garnish with coriander sprigs.

Buddha's Roast Duck

2008-09-03T02:47:00.000-07:00

3 sheets dried yuba (beancurd skin)
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
2 T. Vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
oil for shallow-frying

• Soak the yuba sheets (handle carefully) in warm water for 5-10 minutes, then pat them dry and cut them in half, lengthways

• Mix the soy sauce, kecap manis, oyster sauce and sesame oil together.

• Brush the first sheet of yuba with the soy sauce mixture, cover with another piece of yuba and brush-- repeat until all of the yuba sheets are used.

• Fold the short side in, once, and then once again, so that it is folded in thirds, and flatten lightly. Then fold it in half.

• Place in a steamer and steam over boiling water for 10 minutes until tender.

• Heat oil about 1/4-1/2" deep over high heat in a large, heavy skillet. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, carefully add the yuba rolls, standing back to avoid splattering, and fry until golden-brown. This will take only a short time.

• Turn over and fry the other side. It will probably puff up.
Remove from the pan with tongs and drain on absorbent paper.

Vietnamese Style Spring Rolls

2008-08-30T01:26:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
• 50g bean thread vermicelli noodles
• 50g black fungus
• 2 pieces of pre-fried tofu
• 4 carrots grated
• 1 taro grated
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 onion
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1 pack of rice paper wrappers (50 piece)
• 1 onion
• oil, for cooking
• iceberg lettuce, mint leaves and sweet chilli sauce, to serve (optional)

Method
1. Place noodles into a small heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 10 minutes. Drain. Roughly chop.

2. Place dried fungus in a small heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 10 minutes. Drain.

3. Fry onions for a couple of minutes. Add tofu, salt, pepper, sugar & soy sauce and continue to fry for another two minutes. Add the remainder ingredients, dried fungus, carrot, taro, noodles and fry for another minute or so. Turn off heat.

4. Line a tray with a damp tea towel. Place 2 tablespoonfuls of the mixture along edge of wrapper closest to you. Fold in sides. Roll up to enclose filling. Brush edge with flour mixture. Press to seal. Place onto tray. Repeat with remaining rice paper wrappers. This should make 50 spring rolls.

5. Preheat oven to 160C. Pour oil into a wok to half-fill it. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Cook spring rolls, in batches, for 5 minutes or until light golden. Remove to a wire rack. Keep warm in oven.

Vegetarian Dumpling Soup

2008-08-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

5 cups water
3/4 cube of Massel mock chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)
Small knob of finely grated ginger
8 Vegetarian Dumplings
shallots thinly sliced
1 bunch Bock Choy
A few drops of sesame seed oil

Boil water with stock cube
Add soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, grated ginger and shallots
Add Dumplings then turn to a simmer for 15 mins
Add Bock Choy 2 mins before the Dumplings are cooked
Add the sesame seed oil at the end

The Australian School of Meditation & Yoga West End - A Buddhist Feast

2008-08-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

Last month we held a wonderful vegetarian Buddhist feast at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End. We had over 40 people attend, so it definitely proved to be a very popular class. One of the reasons so many people came is because they are looking to find out more about meat substitutes. Not a lot of people are aware of the many and varied soy products available from Asian supermarkets. This is a very easy and tasty way to substitute the meat in your diet. The substitutes are suitable for vegans and are sometimes so realistic that people aren’t sure if they are actually real. They are extremely high in protein too. I’ll be posting some of the vegetarian recipes demonstrated at the class over the coming days including:

Vegetarian dumpling soup

Mock Fish in black bean sauce

Sweet and sour mock chicken

Buddha’s nine jewel hot pot

Buddha's Roast duck

Fried noodles with peanuts and sweet corn

Spring rolls

Seven treasure fried rice

Thai style coconut sticky rice

Red bean pancake

Find more great vegetarian recipes at

www.asm.org.au/lifestyle/recipes

Where do I start?

2008-08-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

So you want to be a vegetarian, but where do you start? The first thing to understand that it’s no big deal! It’s not like you are going to become a skinny, unhealthy human specimen. Millions of people from all over the world are vegetarian and some cultures have been vegetarians for thousands of years. Look at India for example, where vegetarianism is still prevalent in their society even today. If you are dining at a restaurant there, you will be asked if you are veg or non-veg, which goes to show that a vast majority of the population are still vegetarian. The Indian population isn’t exactly emaciated, some of them are even a little on the voluptuous side and their health definitely benefits from a meat-free diet. Stokes, heart attacks and bowel cancer is much less common in India than in the western world where meat is consumed in huge proportions.

Many Asian countries have also followed a vegetarian diet for centuries. There are literally millions of Buddhists in the world today who are vegetarians and they are shining examples of the wonderful health benefits that vegetarianism brings. When you look at that lovely, round, glowing Buddhist faces, you see a healthy vitality and skin to die for that remains youthful well into old age.

So we only need to look at some prominent examples of vegetarians from around the world to see that they have been living happily and healthily without meat for a long, long time. To access some great vegetarian recipes check out the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga website at www.asm.org.au

Gayatri

What about calcium, B12 and Zinc?

2008-08-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Here are three more questions that are very commonly asked by people ready to make the change to a vegetarian lifestyle.

Where will I get my Calcium?

This is not a worry at all on a lacto-vegetarian diet as good sources are found in dairy products, tofu processed with calcium sulfate, and in green leafy vegetables.

Where will I get my B12?

Vitamin B12 is only required in very small proportions and is stored in the body for years. The only type of vegetarian who will need to supplement their diet with a B12 supplement are vegans, who do not consume any animal product at all including dairy products. As for lacto-vegetarians, good sources of B12 are found in dairy products. Only 1-2 glasses of milk will supply the body with more than enough B12.

Fermented soy products, for example tempeh and miso may contain some B12, but due to different processing techniques, it is an unreliable source of B12.

Where will I get my Zinc?

This is not a problem for someone on a healthy vegetarian diet. Good sources of zinc are found in nuts and seeds, wholegrains, lentils, chickpeas, whole milk and yoghurt.

If you have more questions regarding nutrition on a vegetarian diet, don’t hesitate to contact me or you may like to come along to one of our popular vegetarian cooking classes held at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga For information and dates check out our comprehensive website at www.asm.org.au

Gayatri

Will I get enough Iron?

2008-08-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Will I get enough Iron? This is another much asked question when it comes to making the change to a vegetarian lifestyle.

As one of the cooks at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga, I often get asked this question. I have been a vegetarian for well over 30 years and the only time I have every suffered from low iron levels is when I hemorrhaged after child birth and after surgery. Even during my pregnancy, my iron levels were high for a pregnant woman

Iron is found in many vegetarian foods. Good sources of iron are found in bananas, raisins, whole grains, parsley, plums, blackstrap molasses, green leafy vegetables, legumes, prunes, dried fruit, beetroot, sunflower seeds, pepitas and sea vegetables.

Some foods interfere with iron absorption and it is recommended to avoid them altogether. These are cocoa, chocolate, tea, coffee, beer and smoking.

It is good to take plenty of vitamin C, which aids the absorption of iron. Foods high in vitamin C are citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits, also in strawberries, kiwifruit, watermelon, blackcurrants, papaya, tomatoes, spinach, chickpeas, pinto beans, blackeyed peas, red peppers, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. However, all fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of vitamin C so it certainly is no concern on a healthy vegetarian diet.

Gayatri

Instructor Australian school of meditation and yoga

How do I get my Protein?

2008-08-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

One of the most frequently asked questions at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga Vegetarian Cooking Classes is “Am I going to get enough protein?”

This is easy to answer as all foods for the exception of fruits, fats and alcohol provide protein in varying degrees. I am sure that very few people live on a diet of only fruits, fats and alcohol. The highest source of protein for vegetarians comes from dairy products, legumes, breads, cereals, nuts, tofu and soy products. I once read an article written by a doctor in the U.S. which said that he had never come across a person in a western country who lacked protein, but it was a daily occurrence for him to treat patients who consumed too much protein.

The secret to a healthy vegetarian diet is to get a wide variety of whole foods. Make sure that you eat a good selection of vegetables, whole grain breads, nuts, cereals and of course legumes. There are so many delicious lentil dishes to choose from. Moroccan, Indian and African to name but a few, but probably one of the most popular ways to consume legumes is in the form of tofu. Tofu comes in so many varieties, soft, firm, regular soft, regular firm, fried, puffed, silken, nuggets, seasoned, the list goes on and on and on. Tofu is a great substitute for meat in many dishes and is a delicious, rich source of protein. You can find some great legume and tofu recipes at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga website asm.org.au

Gayatri

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga - Becoming a Vegetarian

2008-08-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

At the Australian School of Meditation & Yoga, Brisbane, we offer a large variety of very popular classes as a community service. They include yoga, meditation, relaxation, stretch and relax, relaxation, as well as spiritual gatherings and chanting evenings, but probably our most popular classes of all are our vegetarian cooking classes which are held 6 times throughout the year. At these classes we teach at least 7-8 healthy, simple, delicious recipes and offer a wealth of information on healthy living and vegetarianism. These vegetarian cooking classes are conducted by volunteer staff, from Australian School of Meditation and Yoga, who are all seasoned vegetarians, and these classes attract people for all sorts of reasons. They may be looking to make the change to vegetarianism or they have a family member who has chosen to follow a meatless diet. Some people come for some new healthy recipes to add to their weekly menu and others come to enjoy the infamous buffet that is served out after the demonstration. Whatever the reason, everyone who attends is sure to leave with some great ideas for vegetarian dishes and numerous tips on becoming a vegetarian and living a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Gayatri
Instructor at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga