Table of Contents
1993 Anne Saks & Faith Stone
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by
The Book Publishing Company, P.O. Box 99
Summertown, TN 38483
Front cover photo: Masala Dosa, pg.124, Coconut Mint Chutney, pg. 89
Cover photos by Ron Coppock
Foodstyling by Kathryn Arnold
Cover and interior design by Barbara McNew
Editing by Sue Frederick
Many thanks to Charlotte Vandenburg, Lisa Stone, Ken Fowler, Tait
Christensen, and Charlotte Brownlee for their creative contributions;
to Sue Frederick, Andrea Ahrens, and Chris Davies for their tireless
editing; and to the entire Shoshoni staff for their loving support
throughout the writing of this book.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Saks, Anne,1957-
The Shoshoni cookbook: vegetarian recipes from the Shoshoni Yoga Retreat / by Anne Saks & Faith Stone.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-913990-49-3
1. Vegetarian cookery. 2. Cookery, Yoga. 3. Shoshoni Yoga Retreat. I. Stone, Faith,1954- . II. Shoshoni Yoga Retreat. III. Title
TX837.S237 1993
641.5636-dc20
93-8782
CIP
ISBN 0-913990-49-3
09876543
Calculations for the nutritional analyses in this book are based on the average number of servings listed with the recipes and the average amount of an ingredient if a range is listed. Calculations are rounded up to the nearest gram. If two options for an ingredient are listed, the first one is used. Not included are optional ingredients, serving suggestions, or fat used for frying, unless the amount is specified in the recipe.
We dedicate this book with love and gratitude to our teacher, Shambhavananda Yogi.
Meet Anne and Faith
In 1980, Anne Saks first came to study yoga with Shambhavananda Yogi. She immediately became an apprentice at Rudis Restaurantstudying under the guidance of master chef Faith Stone. For ten years at Rudis, Anne learned the fine nuances of gourmet natural foods cooking, extending that training to run the Ashram kitchen as well. As manager of the Shoshoni Yogi Retreat kitchen, she planned all the meals and prepared fine food for the many Shoshoni visitors and staff. It has been a spiritual training ground to run the kitchen at Shoshoni, she says. Cooking is creative and it serves other people. It has been the arena for learning things that people spend lifetimes and fortunes seeking. Today she still cooks at Shoshoni and for her husband and daughter, Dominique.
In 1975, Faith Stone and Swami Shambhavananda opened Rudis Restaurant in Boulder to serve tasty, fresh, wholesome foods prepared with grace and love. Today, Rudis is a Boulder landmark, and Faiths many delicious creations attract people from all over the region. She cooks for visitors and staff at Shoshoni Yoga Retreat, teaches cooking classes in the Boulder/Denver area and is also a member of the American Culinary Federation. Considered a pioneer in the Boulder gourmet vegetarian scene, she is also a very advanced student of yoga and the mother of a beautiful little girl, Tara.
INTRODUCTION
About Shoshoni
Shoshoni Yoga Retreat, named after nearby Shoshoni Mountain, rests on 210 acres of colorful Colorado high country-surrounded by lush national forest. Our land has a friendly, joyful quality. Bright prayer flags and large Buddhas painted on rock walls adorn the valley much as one would see in India or Tibet. Log cabins nestled in the forest provide rustic charm with all the comforts of home for our guests.
A day at Shoshoni begins with morning meditation and chanting followed by a hearty, healthful breakfast. Our cuisine is low-fat, vegetarian, and very tasty. After a day of yoga, meditation, hiking, and massage, guests often relax in the hot tub or doze on the deck overlooking Little Bear Mountain. Dinners are often shared outside on the spacious deck overlooking nearby snow-capped peaks.
It is remarkable to watch the change in visitors as the Shoshoni environment strips away years of tightness and tension from their bodies and minds. Many guests attribute the change to the pristine mountain air, the pure spring water, and the incredible food. The resident yogis know it is the meditative energy (or Shakti) which heals, cleanses, and restores people. And this energy is put into every dish prepared in the Shoshoni kitchen.
About Our Teacher
Eldorado Mountain Yoga Ashram and Shoshoni Yoga Retreat were founded by Shambhavananda Yogi. He is a radiant, big-hearted teacher who is a master of Kundalini Yoga. He teaches a method for meditation and growth called Shambhava Yoga. His vision for Eldorado and Shoshoni is to create an environment conducive to inner growth which nurtures practitioners toward the realization of their true Self or Buddha nature. Facilities include residential areas for full-time yogis, non-resident classes, and retreat or visitor facilities.
Shambhavananda is rightly described by the name: Shambhav-ananda, which means the bliss of the natural state. His method of training students of yoga is unencumbered by dogma. He relates to the latent spiritual energy within aspirants, not to their limited view of themselves. Sri Nityananda, our root Guru, taught, The heart is the hub of all sacred places. Go there and roam init. Itis this holy place within which Shambhavananda encourages seekers to explore.
The Shoshoni Kitchen
The Shoshoni kitchen is a fascinating place. It was once a kitchen for a summer camp that served hundreds of children. Central to the kitchen is a new shiny stove with two large ovens surrounded by giant, stainless steel pots, pans, cast iron skillets, and hanging spoons and ladles. Five-gallon buckets overflow with various beans, grains, and colorful fresh vegetables. Quart jars brim with aromatic spices and herbs. Come on in and spend some time with our chefs.
Before daybreak, the breakfast cook enters the kitchen, lights the devotional candle, and puts on a chanting tape. Her quiet voice follows the chant as she hoists a large, stainless steel pot onto the flame. In go the oats, the water, and the masala, and Indian Cereal is started. Fresh muffins, toast, and fruit are prepared as she dances like a Shiva before dawn.
The Shoshoni staff works together to clean up after each meal. Guests love to join in the clean-up activities when a joyful family feeling makes work fun. After a brief morning meeting, the lunch cooks review the menu and plan for the day. Last minute changes are almost always made to include the unexpected, such as the arrival of fresh picked greens from the Eldorado Ashram. Todays lunch will be Spanakopita, Fragrant Rice Salad, and Savory Lentils. The chanting continues, creating a light atmosphere where the cooks focus on their work, repeating mantras as lunch is prepared.
Yogiji often enters the kitchen close to mealtime and tastes each dish. He takes a spoonful sample and a deep, inwardly focused breath. He immediately knows what it needs and, like a magician, transforms the food into nectar. The food is offered to Sri Nityananda, our root Guru, with a blessing chant, then served to a hungry group who just finished a Hatha Yoga class or chanting.
When we have a full house at Shoshoni, the kitchen is a hub of activity. Mountains of fresh vegetables are chopped with one-pointed perfection. We all wonder how we got it done. Somehow the Shakti, or meditative energy, took over and the results are delicious Shoshoni meals.
