Joyful Salad

A day that starts with a run and ends with a meditation is a sweet day.  I enjoyed a run in the sunshine, cleaned my room, sat in the park with my friend Eric and then joined him for a meditation and dharma talk.  I had not meditated in a long while, but openly accepted my friend's invitation, knowing it would be good for me.  The teacher tonight quoted a poem by Hafiz, the Sufi poet, saying:

You carry all the ingredients

To turn your life into a nightmare-

Don't mix them!

So many days I scoop up those ingredients - judgement, self-hate, jealousy, fear, anxiety and mix them right up into a soupy mess.  It is so easy to do this, so human.  Yet Hafiz suggests we don't engage or attach to those negative ingredients.  But rather, he goes on to say:

You carry all the ingredients

To turn your existence into joy-

Mix them, mix

Them!

Though we do not have control over life itself, we do choose how we respond to it.  I was born with many health problems including asthma and allergies that I have been dealing with my whole life.  There have been many days where the reality of my health issues has made me feel depressed, helpless, bitter, and angry.  I know these are natural ways to feel, and I try to allow myself to experience them.  But I am also proud of myself for choosing to take an empowered approach to my health.  After my acupuncturist told me I should stop eating wheat/sugar/dairy, I didn't mix up any feelings of anger or frustration, but rather I have found immense joy in learning about healthy cooking and sharing my experience and knowledge with others on the same path.  

My most recent cooking adventures have been in inventing new salad recipes.  Vegetables and fruits are so good for your physical health, but also coming up with new combinations of ingredients nurture me creatively.  And they taste damn good as well!  Here is just one salad I came up with that you might enjoy.  But, please feel free to mix it up with the ingredients that will bring you joy! 

Joyful Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale
• 1 juicy lemon
• 1 tbs of olive oil
• 1/2 tbs of Braggs Liquid Amino Acids, or wheat free soy sauce
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/4 of a head of purple cabbage
• 1 large handful of raspberries
• 1 large handful of sliced almonds, or any nuts you like!

Directions:

1. Wash and de-stem the kale.  Chop or rip into smaller pieces.
2. In a large bowl squeeze the lemon juice onto the kale and add the olive oil and Braggs.  Massage kale with your hands until it becomes bright green and soft.
3. Shred the cabbage and add to the kale.
4. Slice up the avocado and add to the salad.
5. Top with raspberries and almonds. 
6. Enjoy with Annie's Goddess dressing (just beware that it is not gluten free).  You could also make a simple balsamic vinaigrette for this by mixing a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Or try blending the raspberries in and making a vinaigrette out of that!