Sweet Potato Pancakes

I am too busy this weekend to do a really thoughtful post, so I thought I would share the Sweet Potato Pancake Recipe that I made this evening from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cookbook. You may gain new best friends or even attract a rich husband with this recipe (heehee).



1 cup peeled and grated raw sweet potatoes
1/4 to 1/2 freshly grated lemon peel (don't skip this...it's essential!)
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 TBSP oil or melted butter
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar

In a large bowl combine grated sweet potatoes, lemon peel, egg, milk, oil (or butter). In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Gently stir the dry into the wet ingredients. Do not overbeat or overstir. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.

Warm a lightly oiled skillet on medium-high heat. Pour a small amount of the batter into the skillet to form round pancakes. After about 2 minutes, when the pancakes are evenly dotted with bubbles and about half the bubbles have broken, flip the pancakes with a spatula. Cook the second side until lightly browned...about 1 minute. Continue in batches until the batter has been used.

Serve with Maple syrup, butter, sour cream or chunky salsa.

You will have more friends as a result of making this dish, be really popular, and I'm pretty sure people will find you more attractive (hahahahahaha). Seriously delicious. YUM!

No Longer a Slave

Did you know that if a store mannequin were a real woman that she would be too thin to menstruate? Or that Americans spend more than 40 billion dollars a year on dieting and diet related products?

Last week I went to a talk at the University of Minnesota by Swami Veda Bharati. He is a long time yogi and student of Swami Rama. When I entered the auditorium I had a lot of judgment about the other attendees and the environment (that will be a whole separate blog), however, when he started talking things changed.

He said something at the beginning of his talk that was so profound: “The body is a fit vessel for the spirit of god within.” This got me thinking...

I realized at that moment that I have spent a large part of my life hating my body—it started in elementary school being the tallest girl in my class. Then it moved into being ashamed of my curves as a teenager. I have spent a lot of my life feeling like I wanted my body to be different than it is.

This feeling is only magnified by images of thin models in magazines and beautiful actresses on the movie screen. There seems to be a lot of pressure from popular culture to look at certain way. I made the decision about 7 years ago to stop reading fashion magazines like Cosmo and Vogue (you may look at my wardrobe and question that decision--haha).

“Operation Magazine Removal” was followed years later by getting rid of my TV. These may seem like drastic moves to some, but I also believe that the TV was feeding me messages about what to buy and how to look.

I really feel strongly that the media perpetuates an aesthetic that is almost impossible to live up to. Rather than being grateful for what we have, we desire to be thinner, more beautiful, and better dressed.

My wish is to have a healthy body and a healthy mind. I do things to achieve this—I do yoga and cook homemade meals to care for my body. I read a lot and do meditation for my mind. I live as if I am treating my body as a vessel “for the spirit of god within.”

I refuse to be enslaved that the notion of being healthy means being movie star beautiful or model thin. I am grateful for a healthy body and mind.

A challenge for you:

• Be aware of your “self talk” throughout the next week. Is your inner “story” telling you that you are “less than” or “not good enough” because you may not live up to what the media believes is beautiful.

• Everyday start the day with gratitude for what you have. What aspects of your body and mind are you thankful for?

• Ask yourself: How am I treating my body today as a vessel for the spirit of god within? What am I doing to nourish myself?
  

Do No (or Less) Harm

Recently I made the decision to eat a vegetarian diet (again). It feels a little like “groundhog day” since I have done this before, but there is reason I made this decision and I feel really good about it.

I have been working a lot with loving kindness and compassion in my meditation practice this year. Something that can feel a little foreign to my cold, black Norwegian heart (no offense intended for my fellow cold-hearted Norwegians) and the practice has moved me in ways I could not imagine.


This loving kindness and compassion practice is based in a Buddhist “prayer” called the 4 Immeasurables.



There are several translations but here is one example:
May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness
May they be free from suffering and the causes of suffering
May they never be separated from bliss, free from suffering
May they dwell in equanimity from from attachment, aversion, and prejudice

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I am sure there are several doctoral papers written on this subject and I'm not here to go all intellectual on you. But, working with this in my practice really got me to thinking...this prayer is a heart felt wish that ALL sentient beings be happy and free from suffering. The key words being “all” and “sentient”.
________________________________________________________________________


That includes your friendly cows, pigs, chickens, etc. Animals that millions of Americans consume for dinner every day.

I believe that by eating animals I am causing them to suffer. They are being killed so they can provide food for people. I consume(d) them, therefore they suffered.

Here are some startling facts about the number of animals killed per year:

Chickens: 8.68 billion
Turkeys: 267 million
Cattle: 35.5 million
Pigs: 101 million

My decision to eat vegetarian extends beyond the “animal rights” stuff. Factory farming is just bad for the environment.

Here are some more facts:

• It is estimated that 50% of the water consumed in the US is used to raise livestock.
• It takes 100 times more water to produce a pound of beef that it does to produce a pound of wheat.
• Agriculture is responsible for 70% waterway pollution. This is due to livestock farming.
• 2/3 of the Rainforest in Central America has been cleared for cheap beef to sell to America Fast Food establishments
  

I could go on and on...but that would qualify as “ranting”, don't you think? I think the truth is that a lot of people don't know any better.

veg·e·tar·i·an

The term vegetarian is created from the Latin word vegetus meaning “lively”. I plan on keeping the animals “lively” by not eating them, but also keeping myself more “lively” (or just "alive") since vegetarians LIVE longer.

Make a change...
So, chances are you may be unwilling to give up the cheeseburger...but maybe you would be willing to eat a vegetarian meal 1x a week. Or perhaps give up fast food and save a rainforest in Central America. You can make a small shift in your eating and make a big difference on your health and the environment.

Regardless of what you decide, I know what is right for me is to do less harm to the animals and the environment.

Have you hugged a Vegetarian today?