In my last blog article, I shared some ways that I keep myself grounded and healthy on a vegan diet. There are so many reasons to go vegan… please read my blog article “Why Eat Vegan” (published here on 9-9-10), and have fun experimenting with the delicious vegan recipes I am regularly posting here on the Teja Blog.

On March 9^th (the day that some Mayan Calendar sources predicted that time would speed up by 20x), I cooked a pot of garbanzo beans, roasted a pan of yams, and created a new mushroom soup. My boys really liked the yams dipped in ketchup. The soup was a bit too rich and tangy for their young palettes, but I really loved it, and you might too!

As always, please buy organic food whenever possible. It is healthier for our bodies and healthier for our beloved planet earth.

Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
Soak beans overnight. In the morning, drain and add fresh water, and then later in the day drain and add fresh water again before cooking. Bring to a boil, cook for 2 ½ hours. For the last 30 minutes add 2 ½ teaspoons sea salt, 2 Tablespoons dried oregano, and 1 Tablespoon ground cumin.

Roasted Yams
Preheat oven to 395 degrees, cut yams into wedges, toss (in glass 9”x13” pan) with olive oil and sprinkled paprika, cinnamon, garlic powder, and Himalayan krystal salt. Cook uncovered until tender, about 45-60 minutes, depending on the size that you cut them and depending on your oven range. Yummy by themselves or dipped in ketchup.

Teja’s Tangy Mushroom Soup
4 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 burdock roots, chopped
½ green cabbage, chopped
25 crimini mushrooms, sliced (discard stems)
6 cups water
1 vegan vegetable bouillon cube
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 Tablespoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon black pepper (powder)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2/3 cup dried cranberries, fruit juice sweetened (for a less tangy soup, put less cranberries)

Light a candle and some incense. Cultivate the Witness: observe your mental and emotional states. Accept yourself just as you are in this very moment. Turn on some chanting music to sing along with. (While cooking these recipes I chanted to Lord Shiva with a CD mix that I made for the all-night ShivaRatri event.) Eat a small nutritious snack, such as a spoonful of almond butter mixed with coconut butter… or a handful of raw cacao nibs mixed with a candied ginger… Now begin chopping the vegetables…

Sauté onion in the grapeseed oil. Add the other vegetables, in the order above, as you chop them. Once the mushrooms soften, add the 6 cups of water and vegan vegetable bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer covered until all is velvety soft and the vegetables melt in your mouth! Top with lots of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley. (See my blog article of 3-24-10, “Parsley Musings” for more great information on parsley!)

Please let me know how you like these recipes.

May all beings everywhere have food to eat each day.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

See me live transmitting the poetry of Lalla here: Yogini-Bliss on YouTube

Photo of Teja putting parsley in the soup by Teja’s son Gabe.