soul salad {№3}: i heart india

this salad is inspired by my love of all things india.  it's based on one of my favorites, aloo posto:  spicy potatoes with poppy seeds.   also, ever since fresh pressed turmeric juice cured my nasty sore throat in nyc last month, i'm putting turmeric in everything.  read about it's mojo here.

every main ingredient in this salad with the exception of the pistachios and the poppy seeds was either grown in my garden or purchased at the farmer's market.

i heart india salad

• five medium potatoes, diced, spiced and roasted
• one cucumber, diced
• one-half purple onion, diced
• one cup fresh herbs (i used parsley and dill)
• red wine vinaigrette
• pistachios
• poppy seeds, a few pinches

dice the potatoes, toss in olive oil and liberally sprinkle with turmeric, chili powder, salt and pepper.  roast at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.  i prefer roasted potatoes to boiled for potato salads; they have more flavor and it cuts way down on the need for vinaigrette or mayonnaise.  let cool a bit and then toss in a bowl with the cucumber, onion, herbs and poppy seeds.  sprinkle with red wine vinaigrette.  garnish with chopped pistachios.

it's kind of bold and amazing.

five things i love about india:

1. color everywhere
2. hindu gods and goddesses
3. the incredible spirit of the children
4. kheer and chai
5. (i know it's not true, but) i imagine the air is scented with cardamom and patchouli

gratitude: week four

on the day after thanksgiving, instead of indulging in black friday, we went to yogaville.

the last time we visited, i was in the midst of making the decision whether or not to leave my job and radically change my life.  yogaville provided the space and stillness to give me some clarity on the issue.

i am so very grateful for this open, loving, spiritual place that is quite unexpected in rural virginia.  being here instantly brings the familiar sense of groundedness that i've been blessed enough to experience in other beautiful places.

i am grateful for the sacred spaces i have known.

(photos taken friday at yogaville.)

i am grateful for the pacific ocean.  her name masks her fierceness and power.  i like that.

i am grateful for the tidepools she leaves behind.  she taught me that you can be bold and raw and honest and still create beauty and gentleness.  i am grateful for all those times i held the hand of my daddy while he told me the stories of the magical little sea worlds that exist in each and every tiny pool.

i am grateful for a home that is safe and warm and happy and peaceful.   living here makes me want to be more creative, more joyful, more loving.

i am grateful for my childhood home that i miss often and dream about with a sense of nostalgia and history and love and belonging.

i am grateful for forests and woods and mountains.  and for trails that help me be brave.

i am grateful for the 24"x72" yoga mat that i can roll out anywhere and transform my body, my mind, my spirit, my day, my life.

i am grateful for the places i have not yet been and who whisper to me that there is something for me to learn there.

my most favorite completely accidental self-portrait ever:  protection, wisdom, guidance, beginnings (all these ganesh gifts)...are within.

i am grateful for the practice of choosing which space to inhabit (i.e. yogaville over target) on any given day.  i am grateful for having those options.

i am grateful for learning (still learning, still practicing) that any space (even target) can be peaceful and transformed by awareness and appreciation of its unique beauty and stories.

dear universe

thank you in advance for my beautiful, life-changing, soul-blossoming journey to india.

and the amazing new job.

namaste,
me

{amazing photo credits here.}