Grilled Caesar Salad

Did you know that I’m a grilling expert? True story. Yes, and I also eat a whole foods plant-based diet and have for many, many years. You see, my dad used to own a grillin’ and bbq’ supply store. Most of the customers were interested in grilling… meat. At the time I was going to nutrition school and knew the consequences of eating a meat heavy diet. At our cooking demos these guys would pile their plates with meat, meat and more meat. So, I made it my mission to educate customers on how to grill vegetables and how yummy it could be! Now none of these guys went vegetarian or anything, but I hope I inspired them to grill some veggies alongside their other (not healthy) stuff.

You can totally have your Memorial Day picnic and eat whole foods, plant-based as well. And, have it be totally yummy. Below is a roundup of my favorite grillin’ recipes. Who knows, now that I’ve relocated to Colorado maybe it will be my mission to educate on healthy grillin’ with plants here too!

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks

Grilled Asparagus

Grilled Veggie Quinoa Salad

Sesame Sriracha Grilled Tofu

Grilled Peaches and Cream

Here is my playlist for a 60 minute yoga practice for May – Open Heart Open Hips Flow – enjoy!
https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/coridesigns/playlist/0GqIV6QDaIYEtWYxq3ZZkD

Vegan, Gluten-free, Oil-free

Gather:
2 cups of chopped dates*
1 cup walnuts
1 cup cacao powder
Pinch of vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1/2 cup peanut butter

*If your dates are pretty dry, soak them for 30 minutes, then drain

Make:
Add the dates and walnuts to a food processor and process until a dough like consistency. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor – process until fully combined – a few minutes.

Press the mixture into a baking dish, and put in the refrigerator to set for 30-60 minutes. Then cut to whatever size you like, or make little brownie balls. Done!

You can customize this recipe however you like – omitting the peanut butter, adding different spices (cinnamon, cayenne pepper, etc) and/or top with chocolate chips, cacao nibs, coconut, hemp seeds, etc.

This month, we are working on balancing our 5th chakra as part of the chakra series.

The the 5th Chakra, called the Vishuddha Chakra, is located in the area of our throat. This chakra is all about communication and speaking your truth. It is also about listening – listening in conversation, listening to your body, listening to your intuition. To open up our chakra we work on opening the area of our throat, neck and shoulders. It’s element is ether – from ether comes sound. It’s color is blue and its sound is “HAM.”

Yoga Poses
Different yoga poses can activate certain chakras. Here a few beginner-level poses I like to use to activate your throat chakra:

Ujjayi Pranayama: Ocean Breath
Ujjayi breathing, or victorious breath, steadies the breath and keeps us in the present moment. You can practice it as a meditation and while doing yoga poses to smooth and even the breath. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Seal your lips and exhale out your nose, constricting the back of your throat making an audible sound sort of like a whisper or soft ocean wave. Keep your inhales and exhales even.

Neck Stretches
Find a comfortable cross-legged seat. Ground down through your sit bones and lift up through your sternum. Keeping your neck long and the crown of your head lifted, bring your leg ear towards your left shoulder – slowly and gently. Place your left hand on your right ear and pull the stretch deeper. Inhale lift your head back to center. Repeat for other side.

Matsyasana: Fish Pose
Start laying on your back, arms by your side, legs drawn together. Slide your hands under your buttocks, palms face up. On an inhalation, bend your elbows to lift your heart up and tilt your head back. You will feel an intense opening along your throat, neck and heart space. Stay for a few deep breaths. To come out of the pose, inhale and lift your head first, then slide your back down to the floor.

Healing Foods for the Chakras
You can also nourish chakras through the foods you are eating. Foods that nourish your 5th chakra are foods that soothe your throat – think warming, soothing beverages like herbal or ginger tea. Here is a warm, nourishing, throat-soother beverage to try for opening up your throat chakra.

Golden Turmeric Latte

Makes 1 serving

Gather:
1 1/2 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp raw honey (or 1 date)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2” piece of ginger root
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut oil

Blend all of the ingredients in a high speed blender. Then put into a small pan and heat until warm.