The Art of Appreciation - A Lecture by Yogi Bhajan

Yogi Bhajan Speaks about Thanksgiving on 11/2/94:

“Our thanks from the bottom of our heart that guidance of the Guru gave us endurance, character, the power of forgiveness, the life of gratitude, and the attitude of service and standing out to serve, for which we are grateful.

"This Thanksgiving is not to roast a turkey, we are very grateful that this Thanksgiving today is to save a turkey.

"It is a very powerful thing to understand life. Whenever there is negativity--it doesn’t matter what or where it comes from--it is fanned by ego. Whenever man wants to get out of it, he can only get out of it with his consciousness, which is a positive path. That’s what Guru say, for which we have thanks to give: that there is guidance, He is with us forever.”

Potent Potatoes

In the tradition of yogic cooking, this spicy, hearty recipe is very tasty and health-promoting. The spices help to purify the blood, stimulate digestion, and increase energy. You may decrease the amounts of pepper and cayenne to suit your taste.

4 large baking potatoes

1/4—1/2 cup (65-125 ml) ghee or vegetable oil

2-3 onions, chopped

1/4—1/2 cup (65-125 ml) ginger root, minced

1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds

1-2 Tablespoons (20-40 ml) garlic, minced

1 teaspoon black pepper

3/4-1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cayenne or crushed red chilies

8 whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2-4 Tablespoons (40-80 ml) soy sauce or salt to taste

1/2 pint (500 ml) cottage cheese

Optional:

1/2 pound (225 gram) cheese, grated

1 red or green bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped pineapple, drained

Scrub potatoes, rub with small amount of oil and bake at 400° F (200° C), until well done. Heat ghee or oil in large skillet. Sauté onions and ginger until they begin to brown, then add garlic and spices and cook 4-5 minutes longer. Add a little water if necessary. Add soy sauce (optional). Stir and remove from heat. Cut baked potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the insides and combine with onion mixture. Add cottage cheese. Mix well and refill potato shells, covering each with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. For a nice touch, garnish with bell pepper and pineapple. Serves four.

Yams with Pecans and Coconut

This recipe was given to Gurudev Kaur by one of her wonderful Kundalini Yoga students from Yoga Santa Fe -

Thank you Shauna Sindo!

Ingredients: (serves 6 with a few leftovers for tomorrow..YUM)

6 yams (maybe round 8"long)

1 cup coconut (short shed or thin)

1 cup walnuts or pecans

2 tbs orange peel chopped

1 1/2 tbs whole cloves

3/4 cup honey +1 cup water

1 stick butter

Preheat to 300 degress

Wash and slice yams into 1/2-3/4" circles place in pan with skin facing the sides of the pan, flat side of yam circles upright. Mix chopped orange peel, chopped nuts and coconut, and spoon over the yams.

Heat to boil (yet not boiling), the honey, water and cloves.

Cover with lid or foil.

Bake covered for 1 hour at 300 (potatoes should be quite soft by then). Turn up oven to 375 and bake uncovered for 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, turn oven to 325, pour melted stick of butter over potatoes and heat UNCOVERED for another 1/2 hour. I would consider making them today and merely heating them tomorrow since so many varied oven temps might be a difficult. I am quite generous with  adding the coconut and nut  mixture. Also during the baking I pull off the lid and spoon the mixture back on the potatoes periodically. It should never never dry out during baking. Don't really want it soggy yet a little moisture is good for this dish..

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