Altemöller Tika - Dharma feast cookbook: recipes for a fresh start

DHARMA FEAST COOKBOOK

RECIPES FOR A FRESH START

DHARMA FEAST COOK BOOK

RECIPES FOR A FRESH START

THERESA ROGERS AND TIKA ALTEMLLER

KALINDI PRESS

PRESCOTT, ARIZON

2012, Trimurti

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of quotes used in critical articles and reviews.

Cover Design and Painting: Matt Sullivan

Interior Design and Layout: Tiia Antere

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rogers, Theresa (Courtney Theresa), 1969

Dharma feast cookbook : recipes for a fresh start / Theresa Rogers and Tika Altemller.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-935826-21-7 (trade paper)

1. Vegetarian cooking. 2. Cooking (Natural foods) 3. Cookbooks. I. Altemller, Tika. II. Title.

TX837.R746 2012

641.5636--dc23

2011041288

Kalindi Press

P.O. Box 1589

Prescott, AZ 86302

800-381-2700

http://www.kalindipress.com

This book was printed in the U.S.A. on recycled, acid-free paper using soy ink.

DISCLAIMER: The material in this book is intended for educational purposes only, and as such is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical intervention or used to treat or diagnose diseases. In any use of the recipes, diets or other recommendations or approaches discussed in this book, please apply common sense and as necessary consult a qualified, licensed health care professional.

FOR LEE LOZOWICK

who was the embodiment of both the essence

and form of the pages that follow.

This book is dedicated to his good name.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank Purna Steinitz for his editorial and contextual contributions.

Suzanne Nestrud for her vast contribution to this book, which included overseeing the project, editing, and the testing of recipes.

Madeline Rains, Bhu Sullivan, and Fire Williams for photographs.

Matt Sullivan for the painting on the cover and cover design.

Khandro Kelly and Lisa Ratto who supported this entire project.

Tiia Antere for formatting and layout.

And our many friends who tested recipes.

Recipes and other information from Intuitive Eating by Humbart Santillo, N.D. used by generous permission of Hohm Press, Prescott, Arizona.

Recipes from Hohm Cookin Music for the Tastebuds used by generous permission of Hohm Press, Prescott, Arizona.

Raw recipes from Raw Soups, Salads, and Smoothies by Frederic Patenaude used by generous permission of the author.

Quotes from the Hohm Sahaj Mandir Study Manuals used by generous permission of Hohm Press, Prescott, Arizona.

Information from 10 Essential Foods by Lalitha Thomas used by generous permission of the Hohm Press.

Information from Health Coach Systems Intl. Inc. used by generous permission of Dr. Mark Percival.

When wonderful things are ordinary and ordinary things are wonderful, then at last God has been glimpsed.

- LEE LOZOWICK

People try to solve their problems in a therapistS office or in support groups when, in fact, many can be solved at the dining room table. It is possible that an emotional problem may very well just be a clogged liver or weak kidneys. If you want to change something in your life, start with a change in your diet.

- PURNA STEINITZ

Most of us in the West spend our days surrounded by a fast-paced, technological world that is not particularly nurturing. Western culture has evolved into a way of life in which we cram as many words, information, and activities as we can into our day. Eating is often what we do while were busy doing something else. For the most part, grocery stores feed this lifestyle they are filled with processed foods meant to be prepared and eaten as quickly as possible. Magazine, newspaper, radio, and television ads reinforce getting carried away by and becoming lost in unhealthy habits and food cravings.

We have lost our intuitive understanding of how to feed ourselves and our loved ones in a way that nourishes rather than one that does little more than placate the cravings of the less conscious part of ourselves. We crave concentrated foods they are fast, easy, processed and often full of salt, fat, and sugarlike chips, power bars, and ready-made energy drinks and shakes. We think we dont have timeor energyto cook.

So why, when it seems like we have less time in the day than ever, would we consider using a cookbook that asks us to make our meals from basic, natural ingredients? The answer is as simple as the recipes themselves. Within such an intentional diet are the seeds to bring sanity back into our lives.

If asked about our physical state, many of us would say I feel pretty good. Maybe were tired or irritable sometimes, or our stomachs occasionally hurt, or we have a skin rash, but overall we dont get sick very often and we unconsciously think this is an indication of robust health. What many of us consider to be fine or normal means we dont have a debilitating disease, which is not a good definition of healthy. In fact, our concept of health changes considerably when we learn about what we are eating and how it affects us. Once we do, we may realize that we have not experienced the natural life force of our bodies other than on a camping trip, yoga class, or weekend seminar.

Our bodies can tolerate many toxic substances, until the point that these cause disease. In the meantime, the body compensates for the neuro-toxins (toxins that make the brain malfunction) found in processed food additives. It compensates for vitamin, mineral, and protein deficiencies. It compensates for lack of water and exercise. It adapts to overindulgence in sugars, salt, and fat. But a body in such a condition is not one that is healthy, whole, or balanced enough to function properly, and this can significantly impact every area of your life. If your brain is flooded with neurotoxins on a daily basis, for example, then your whole thought process is affected. Ideas, physical reactions, and even the depths you are capable of in relationships and life in general are all altered by the fog stealing through your mind. Indeed, eventually the body wont compensate anymore, and then acute or chronic disease will likely set in. The list of symptoms of physical crisis is long and includes, gas and other digestive problems, allergies, symptoms of arthritis, insomnia, depression, spaciness and emotional fixation on anger, fear, and drama.

Sanity begins with learning about food, preparing it properly, and eating it consciously. If we do this, we have the possibility of becoming healthy and free of the confusion and reactivity caused by toxic foods. The diet we recommend, which is based on plant-based whole foods, leaves fewer residues physically, mentally, and emotionally. It does not leave a coat of plaque on our intestines, tissues, brain, etc., so it does not alter our body or brain chemistry the way many animal-based and processed foods do. For example, when we eat a lot of sugar, whether we know it or not, we have chemically-induced emotional highs and lows. The same is true with eating too many artificial preservatives, which cause a feeling of ungrounded spaciness.

When we eat a clean diet these residues are naturally eliminated from our body, and this has a deep effect on our mind and emotions. We can start experiencing a more natural response to the world around us, instead of reacting to it as per the toxins in the foods we eat. But we cant know the impact these substances have until we get our bodies to a cleaner state and can experience the contrast.