by Chef Deborah Lieder
The pilgrimage of life, similar to our healing journey with food, is one that holds many twists and turns. Through ups and downs, highs and lows, we encounter happiness, suffering, bliss, and pain. We travel those experiences, sharing them with others, to whatever capacity that may be. Entering the holiday season often triggers various emotions and old patterns as we are surrounded by family and those closest to us. There is a desire for peace, love, and joy to manifest in the places we gather and the food that we share. Each person experiences this in a different way. We learn in order to have the peace we long for, we need to allow space, not only for our own experience but others as well. When we truly reflect upon this, we understand that peace must come from within first before it can be an outward expression.
Eating a healthy diet is not simply about looking our physical best. The vitality and youthfulness we gain is, yes, an added benefit, but we also gain emotional strength as well. We are nourishing our body in a way so that it can do its job properly whether on a physical or mental/emotional level. The way we eat needs to arise from a place of intention. Because when disease manifests, it means there are blockages to it performing its normal functions. Those obstructions come from both foods and emotions/belief systems.
Nourishment is defined as the food or substance necessary for growth, health and good condition, ultimately telling us that health and wellness are dependent upon what we ingest, in our food and our environment. This is the journey of healing, for our own hearts and those in our lives, and when we nourish the body with the proper foods, we are more inclined to see the results we hoped to see.
As you heal one area of your life, so do the others begin to follow. Healing comes from a place of listening, tuning-in to what our body is saying on both the physical and emotional plane. Those triggers are actually trying to communicate something to us. When we eat mindfully, meaning the diet that feels like it is giving our body its maximum potential, we become capable. We have the energy needed, the emotional response that feels appropriate, the respect and value of ourselves and therefore of others.
It is easy to fall back into patterns or behaviors around this time of year. The blessing being, as we see these things emerge, we may finally heal them. And when we choose to heal them, we experience that peace we so greatly desire, from within and with those around.
Roasted Vegetable and Navy Bean Calzones – gluten-free, dairy-free
Ingredients:
4 pounds of golden potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 c. Tapioca Flour
½ Onion, small dice
2 ea Carrot, small dice
1 ea. Celery, small dice
1 c. Mixed Vegetables, small dice – your pick, some examples: cauliflower, peas, zucchini, summer squash, tomato, winter squash, etc.
1 c. Navy Beans, cooked
¼ c. White Wine, Red Wine or Vinegar of Choice – white balsamic, red wine, champagne, apple cider vinegar
½ c. Vegetable or Chicken Stock
1 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Onion Powder
1 T. Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, boil potatoes until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Place in KitchenAid mixer or bowl fitted for a hand mixer. Mash potatoes, add a pinch of salt and tapioca flour until mixed evenly and dough forms. Allow to cool.
In large sauté pan, heat olive oil and sauté onion until translucent. Add carrot, sautéing for 5 minutes, add celery, continuing to sauté for 5 minutes, then add mixed vegetables, continuing to sauté for 5 more minutes. Mix in navy beans while turning heat to high. Allow the pan to get hot, 1-2 minutes, then deglaze with wine/vinegar. Let the wine/vinegar completely reduce until the pan is “dry” then add in stock and seasonings. Allow the stock to reduce until almost gone. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and divide potato dough into 24 equally “golf ball” sized balls. For 12 of the balls, patty them out, 6 per baking sheet, into circles ¼ inch thick. Spoon 2-3 T. of filling in the center. For the rest of the balls, patty them out and lay them directly covering the filling. Pinch together the bottom and top of the dough, sealing the seams completely. Use a mini offset spatula or knife to smooth out the seams.
Bake calzones at 350 for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown. Serve and Enjoy!
