Sri Sri says that all our talents are for the benefit of others - if we sing well, it is for others to enjoy hearing it. If we write well, it is for others to enjoy and learn from our writings :D He also says that if we are blessed with a talent, we should put it to good use. By putting to good use, he means not just for oneself, but for society! When we put our talents to good use, more talents are given to us!
This is so true for cooking! Once I realised I could cook, I first cooked for myself. Then, for my family. Then for family and friends. Then for large satsang groups and (unexpected) guests :D I noticed that the joy of cooking multiplied with the number of people I was cooking for. More importantly perhaps, as I cooked for larger and larger groups of people consisting not just of people "near and dear," my creativity in cooking increased. Recipes just came to me from nowhere! Randomly cooked dishes (following no fixed recipe) tasted simply marvelous and "traditional" Indian dishes I had never dared make before (out of fear that they would taste nothing like the original) were praised as tasting truly "authentic!"
By writing out these recipes on the blog, I hope that I can share this talent that has slowly emerged from somewhere within me, with those who it is truly meant for - YOU!
Todays recipe: Avocado Peanut Salad
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado (not over-ripe!) (chopped into small cubes)
1 cucumber (chopped into small cubes)
1 handful of peanuts - roasted ones taste better (can be substituted with lightly fried or roasted cashews, but peanuts taste better)
1/2 handful of raisins
Lemon Juice (to taste - no more than 1/2 of a medium sized lemon)
Salt and pepper to taste (if you are a highly pitta person, avoid pepper. If you are a highly Kapha person, add extra pepper or even green chillies - the spice will surely increase the Rajas in you and make you active :D. Spices are also recommended in cold climates but may be avoided during hot summer days - especially in India!)
Method: Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately!
The salad contains all 5 flavors - sweet, salty, pungent, astringent and sour. Light and satisfying!
Happy cooking and happy sharing your talents!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
About the blog and the blogger... at some level, they are both but one!
Although I'm a lawyer and law student by profession, in my heart, I am just a spiritual seeker and a student and disciple of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. I've taught Art of Living's Youth Program (YES course) and Yoga courses for the past 7 years and read almost all books written by or about Sri Sri. Before joining the first Art of Living workshop (at age 17), I was initiated into Transcendental Meditation at the age of 11 and learned yoga under a senior teacher from the Bihar School of Yoga from the age of 13-15. Although I never admitted it as a teenager, I have always felt a strong attraction towards meditation and yoga. My mind always wandered into the outer world beyond the Earth and the inner world - of our hearts and souls - can they ever meet?
My interest in cooking, particularly vegetarian, Ayurvedic cooking is relatively recent. While I was in the United States doing my masters program, the lack of good vegetarian restaurants around my law school in beautiful Concord, New Hampshire forced me to cook my own meals. This was in 2005. Following my masters, I moved to New York where I spent 2.5 happy years studying (for the NY Bar!), working (with IBM and later as a consultant), teaching Art of Living courses, and of course COOKING for my sister and for the students who I taught. During this time, I also did the Sri Sri Ayurveda cooking course and realized that I had a flair and instinct for cooking and baking. This was 2006-2007.
Realising that cooking helps in introspection, recognizing (unnecessary) personal behavioral patterns and overcoming them, living the present moment in its totality and experiencing deeper meditations came even more recently - just within this year in fact (2011). This realisation (which is in its infancy and hopefully on its way to progressive maturation) inspired this blog.
Through this blog I bring to everyone of us who has a creative heart and/or a love for trying new things (whether in the kitchen or elsewhere) my experiences with introspecting and meditating while doing something that I enjoy a great deal most of the time, and hate some of the time :).
As Sri Sri advises, I cook in the present moment and never make anything that tastes the same as last time. Most recipes here are either modifications of well known recipes or creations off the top of my head or a combination of these.
I hope you enjoy reading the blog! Please feel free to comment or criticize or suggest or praise. I offer and surrender it all to the divine.
With love... happy cooking and happy introspecting. :D
My interest in cooking, particularly vegetarian, Ayurvedic cooking is relatively recent. While I was in the United States doing my masters program, the lack of good vegetarian restaurants around my law school in beautiful Concord, New Hampshire forced me to cook my own meals. This was in 2005. Following my masters, I moved to New York where I spent 2.5 happy years studying (for the NY Bar!), working (with IBM and later as a consultant), teaching Art of Living courses, and of course COOKING for my sister and for the students who I taught. During this time, I also did the Sri Sri Ayurveda cooking course and realized that I had a flair and instinct for cooking and baking. This was 2006-2007.
Realising that cooking helps in introspection, recognizing (unnecessary) personal behavioral patterns and overcoming them, living the present moment in its totality and experiencing deeper meditations came even more recently - just within this year in fact (2011). This realisation (which is in its infancy and hopefully on its way to progressive maturation) inspired this blog.
Through this blog I bring to everyone of us who has a creative heart and/or a love for trying new things (whether in the kitchen or elsewhere) my experiences with introspecting and meditating while doing something that I enjoy a great deal most of the time, and hate some of the time :).
As Sri Sri advises, I cook in the present moment and never make anything that tastes the same as last time. Most recipes here are either modifications of well known recipes or creations off the top of my head or a combination of these.
I hope you enjoy reading the blog! Please feel free to comment or criticize or suggest or praise. I offer and surrender it all to the divine.
With love... happy cooking and happy introspecting. :D
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)