Savory Summer Succotash with Theresa Mikuls

Our favorite epicurial yogi, Theresa Mikuls, has been using her time away from the studio scouring the farmer's markets for what's in season. Good yogis everywhere know that eating food that's been produced locally (as local as possible) is good for the environment, as there are less shipping miles (and energy) involved. Eating food produced by local farmers helps the local economy. It's fresher, full of vibrant prana. Enjoy Theresa's recipe and thoughts below:

Summer Vegetable Succotash

1 pound small (1 inch wide) yellow-fleshed potatoes such as Yukon Gold

4  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, butter, or ghee

2 cups fresh corn (from 3 ears)  

½  pound thickly sliced zucchini

½  pound fresh frozen edamame soy beans, or a 5 oz. can of  rinsed Garbanzo beans

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

½ cup raw sun flower or pumpkin seeds optional

¼ cup fresh chives or parsley or cilantro

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Defrost and unshell the edamame soybeans.  If using Garbanzo beans instead, set aside for later. Bring potatoes to a boil in cold, salted water to cover a 1 inch depth in a 4-quart saucepan.  Add soybeans.  Then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool.

2. Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter, oil, or ghee in a 10 inch heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. Add potatoes/soybeans, and sprinkle salt and pepper and cook, turning on all sides to lightly brown. Transfer to a serving platter.

3. Add remaining oil or butter to skillet.  Add corn, zucchini, sunflower seeds and red onion.  (If using garbanzo beans, add now.)  Cook till tender - less than 5 minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper.  Combine with potatoes and soybeans.  Sprinkle parsley or cilantro.

5. Serve!

Feel free to substitute soybeans with summer squash.  I chopped fresh kale and added it to the skillet with the cooked potatoes.  I also added fresh, cooked beets to garnish the platter.  Vegetarians could add sautéed or fresh tofu.  Visit the farmer’s market and get creative.  Think fresh!  This is a welcome addition to any summer party.

Running and yoga: not so different?

by Jessica Niekrasz

Even though the practices of running and yoga seem to be at polar ends of the activity scale, these activities embrace some of the same principles. I've done each exclusively but consistently return to finding a balance between the two. Without a doubt, I am a better runner for having found yoga. And, without a doubt, I'm a better yogi for having found running. Here are some ways:

Stilling the Mind  Yoga and running both provide the opportunity to get inside myself. Not my mind. After a good run, my mind is empty. During a run, the use of breath and the sound of steps create a pattern - a focus if you will - to help empty my mind of thoughts. On my mat, the breath is there to help direct me inward, to build awareness in my body. The end result is the same: this is sacred time to focus on myself, develop awareness and push the external world to the sidelines until the run or practice is over.

Patience and Understanding  Compassion for one's self is essential in both running and yoga. Let's face it, you never really know how something is going to turn out until the activity is through. Preparation and training can increase chances of success, but sometimes, external factors impede progress. It is the ability to go with the flow and accept the change that makes the difference. I'll say it, shit happens and it's your response (read: patience and understanding) that shows true grace. Time on the mat helps develop that. So does running.

Flexibility  It's obvious how yoga helps running, but how does running help yoga? Endurance. Overcoming challenge. Staying with something even though it's not going well. Stick-to-Itness. This is how running helps my yoga. It's why I coach beginner runners and triathletes. When you develop flexibility of the mind and the body - watch out world! You can do anything.

Jessica Niekrasz is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher, certified Good Form Running Coach, and is currently pursuing her Level 1 USA Triathlon Coach certification. She teaches "Yoga for Athletes" workshops around the Chicagoland area and offers private in-home yoga therapy sessions. Learn more about Jessica at http://www.yogasedge.com.

A ho-hum practice leads to a new passion

Judi Harvin
I just discovered something new to love, brought to me in an unusual way by my yoga practice.

Saturday night my daughter and I arrived to our farmhouse late. The house had been baking in 90 degree weather all week. It didn't seem the wall AC unit would cool down the bedrooms in time for any sort of happy sleep, so we decided to suck it up and just opened the windows.

I grabbed my mat and headed outside for what I thought would be an amazing practice under the stars. We have an expansive yard (a couple of acres) so I found a spot in the open, and laid my mat down.

I like practicing in dimmer light, but by this time it was pretty black out, and I found my balance to be off. And, although I have seen the encrusted starry country sky many times before, this time I found it really distracting. I just wanted to lie on my back and stare up. I couldn't concentrate.

So, I left my mat where it was, went inside and grabbed a beach towel, sleeping bags and my daughter. That night we slept under the stars.

I had wanted to do this for a while, but something kept me from it: too much trouble to set up? bugs? Fear that something would eat me? Who knows. However, I lived to tell about it, and even have some revelations:

There are no bugs later at night. Apparently, even bugs get tired and go to sleep. They do at my farm and my farm is pretty much a Woodstock for bugs.

The stars are better than TV.  I even saw a huge shooting star, with an amazing tail that glowed before fading away.

Sleeping outside, you don't miss any cool animal sounds. Coyote, bullfrogs, owls. There's a party going on at night, and it's much more pleasant to fall asleep to than the one the neighbor's teenagers had last week.

Wake up to entertainment. In the morning, the birds are pretty darn interesting. I love lying for a bit upon waking up, and sleeping outside gave me the perfect excuse, watching birds socializing and showing off right above my head.

If you ever have the urge to grab your mat and head for the forest preserve, your backyard, anywhere outdoors, don't pass it up. Instead, pick it up, lay it out, and move and breath outdoors. Have you ever had an amazing experience practicing in an unusual place? did it lead to new insights? Please, post a comment below. I'd really love to hear about it.  

Local Yogi meets Local Farmer's Market: Delicious Recipe Made with Tasty Local Foods

Focus Yoga is all for encouraging eating locally and in season. To support local farmers, we offered a CSA last year, and this year are linking interested students with a local farmer offering poultry, eggs, cheese and produce (contact us for details).  


Also, this year, Judi asked Focus Yoga instructor Theresa Mikuls to create some recipes using local, in season produce. Theresa is our in-house culinary expert, having worked in restaurant kitchens such as the Ritz-Carlton. Since many Focus yogi's like to eat healthy and locally, Theresa hit the farmer's market to see what local farmers are providing right now. She took the bounty and developed this recipe to share. Greens (chard and beet greens) are an amazing food to include as they are super-alkalizing. Here Theresa uses the whole beet! If you have other veggies you'd like to use, they can be included, or work as substitutions. Try this dish hot or cold. Serves 4. Enjoy!!

Summer Thai Peanut Stir Fry

Thai Peanut Butter Coconut Sauce

• 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 TBS fish sauce
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 TBS hot sauce (optional)
• 1 TBS fresh lime juice
• 1 TBS fresh ginger root, minced
• 1 TBS soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or basil, chopped

Directions

In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, fish sauce, coconut milk, hot sauce (if using), lime juice, ginger root, soy sauce, and garlic. Add fresh cilantro or basil just before serving. Sauce may be added to hot or cold pasta.

Sauteed Tofu

• One box of tofu, drained

Directions

Wrap the block of tofu in a towel and cover with a heavy plate or brick to squeeze out excess water. This may take 20 min or more. Heat large saute pan with 2TBS of extra virgin olive oil. Add tofu and carefully flip cubes over until sides are lightly browned. Add browned tofu to finished sauce.

Stir-fry Fresh Vegetables and Noodles

• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 2 each sliced Shallots and sliced green onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups swiss chard, chopped
• 2 cups beet leaves, chopped
• 2 summer squashes, sliced 
• 2 orange or red beets, quartered 
• Noodles of choice (try whole wheat, rice or udon)

Directions:

Cook pasta in a large pot. You can reuse the hot pasta water for blanching off the Swiss chard and beet leaves. Bring pasta water to boil add the chopped Swiss Chard and Beet leaves to boiling water. Boil for two minutes and strain off water (save hot water to cook beets). Boil beets 5 or less minutes check for tenderness. Strain beets. Peel and slice beets.

Over medium heat add oil into a large sauté pan. Add Shallots and Green Onions. Cook stirring occasionally. Add Garlic, chopped Summer Squash and drained Swiss chard and Beets leaves.

Add the beets to the vegetables. Mix sauce with vegetables and pour over pasta.