Some Recipes from the Retreat

What can I say?  We eat well at our coastal retreats!  I like to tell the story of the VERY first yoga retreat Rick and I  hosted at Little Renaissance in Ocean Shores.  The retreat went really well and on the Tuesday following the weekend retreat,  two retreat participants who also happen to be  our dear friends, Tom and Ursula, showed up for their morning class with me at Seattle Athletic Club.  Everyone in class was excited to hear about the retreat.  I heard someone ask Tom, “So, how was the yoga retreat, Tom?”  Tom’s eyes lit up and he said loudly and enthusiastically, “The FOOD was GREAT!!”  And he went on and on about the meals, in great detail.  I kept thinking to myself, “Please, please, Tom, say something about the YOGA!”  Eventually he did have some great things to say about the yoga, too.  Seriously, in addition to eating well, we do a lot of yoga!

The retreat participants wanted some recipes from last week’s retreat.  Here is a recipe for the curry I served on Saturday evening.  Carol Brown sent this to me a long time ago.  I have altered it a bit as follows:

Killer Curry  (serve with rice)

In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat 3-4 tablespoons oil.  Add the garlic and onions, and saute for 1 minute:
4 tablespoon ghee (I used olive oil instead))
7 garlic cloves, minced
3 medium onions

Add the following and saute for 4-6 minutes or until the onions are golden brown:
3 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch squares

Add the following and saute for 1 minute:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup golden raisins

Add the following, stir well and saute for 1 minute:
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 Tablespoon turmeric
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger  (I used fresh finely chopped ginger)

Add the spinach and water. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes:
2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed  (I used fresh spinach, cooked down)
1 cup water

Add the following and stir:
1 yellow bell pepper (cored and cut into 1/2 inch squares)
2/3-1 cup coconut milk

Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.
Serve over a bed of rice.

One of the women, Carol Brown!!,  who was going to come to the retreat, but could not attend, sent us a gift of brownies:

I also made sweet delights:

Lemon Bars

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Mix the following three ingredients and pat into an
ungreased 13″x9″x2 ” pan and bake for 18-20 minutes:

2 sticks butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

Using an electric mixer, beat the following.  Begin with the eggs and when
the eggs are well beaten, then add the remainder:

4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons flour
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lemon peel

Add the egg mixture to the crust and bake for another 20 minutes.
After you are finished baking, loosen around the edges  and sift
confectioner’s sugar over top while still warm.  Let bars cool  COMPLETELY
before cutting into squares.   Cutting is not so easy.  I put the cooled pan
in the fridge for a half an hour before I cut the bars.

And I made a sour cream coffee cake that came out surprisingly better than ever.  You’ll probably flip when you see how much butter, sugar, and sour cream are in this one! No wonder it’s so sinfully tasty!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted melted butter  (cooled)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F  Butter and flour a 10 x 6 baking dish or pan.

2. Combine the first five ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Stir in the next four dry ingredients until just combined.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the last three ingredients and toss to mix well.

4. Pour half the batter into a prepared pan. Sprinkle on half the nut mixture.  Cover with remaining batter, and sprinkle the remaining nut mixture over the top. Bake until golden on top and firm, 45-50 minutes.

5. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes.  Serves 8.

ENJOY!