People often ask me how I am so grounded and vibrant on a vegan diet. The answer is simply that I prepare healthy foods and I focus on spiritual practices that keep me centered. I choose vegan foods that are grounding such as beans, whole grains, roots, and dark green leafy vegetables, like the collard, arugula, and mizuna greens in this photo. For that meal, I sautéd the collard greens in walnut oil and tossed them with some leftover tempeh and red bell pepper. Then I drizzled organic flax oil over the raw mizuna and arugula.

In addition to simple, tasty greens that are full of iron, calcium, and many other vitamins and minerals, I continue to sit daily in a silent meditation practice that balances my chakras (energy centers in the subtle body) and keeps me centered in my heart. In my pocket book, Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living, I describe meditation (and other spiritual practices) in an easy-to-read way that appeals to many people.

Currently, my favorite daily practice is one that I’m calling my “time out of time”, which I enjoy after my morning meditation. For my time-out-of-time practice, I light candles on my coffee table, then sit on the couch with a cup of hot tea. I begin by reading aloud my current vows (which I wrote on January 1^st), and then offering my tea to Neem Karoli Baba. After that, I sip the tea whilst reading spiritual teachings. Recently I have been reading books by Ram Dass. To read the book reviews, please click on the titles: Be Here Now, Be Love Now, and Still Here.

The past few mornings, since I am in between books, I’ve been reading the Vegetarian/Vegan Starter Kit (magazine) published by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and I will write a blog article with quotes from that publication once I digest it a little more. As a vegan yogini, when I read about the ill treatment of factory farm animals, I am filled with such a deep sorrow that I feel sick to my stomach and my heart aches. Thus, I feel very inspired to do my part to help raise awareness about this issue. In short, the animals and fish are suffering very much because of the dietary choices made by the human species. And, the choice to no longer eat animal products, but to instead eat a plant-based (vegan) diet, not only reduces the suffering of the animals, but it increases the good health of the humans and dramatically reduces the global greenhouse emissions. So, going vegan is a win-win-win situation: the creatures win, the humans win, and the planet wins!

More on this topic soon.

May all beings, including the cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys, be free to live happy lives.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja’s vegan dinner by Teja Shankara.

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One of my favorite winter holiday memories is of crunching on handfuls of my Mom’s homemade party mix, so each December I make a batch of it to enjoy with my boys … here’s my vegan version of the recipe:

Teja’s Vegan Party Mix

4 cups nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, cashews)
8 cups cereals (O’s and chex-like bites)
4 cups thin pretzels

Combine the above in a large mixing bowl. Then, in a pan on the stove, mix and melt the following ingredients: 

1 cup Earth Balance vegan spread (butter substitute)
¼ cup vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 Tablespoon coconut palm sugar 

Mix the sauce into the bowl with the nuts, cereals, and pretzels. Spread onto cookie sheets. Do not oil the pans. Bake on low heat, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until browned and crunchy. My Mom’s recipe called for baking this mix at 250 degrees, but I’ve found that temperature was not hot enough for my old oven, and now it’s too hot for my new oven. Depending on your particular oven, you might need to bake this at 225 or at 275 degrees. In any case, stir every 10-15 minutes, and keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!

Bright Happy Holidays to all!

May all beings be free of suffering and the root causes of suffering. May all beings be happy, healthy, and harmonious with the Beauty of Life.

Om Shanti (Peace), 

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja’s Vegan Party Mix by Teja Shankara. Photo of Teja with sons on Christmas morning by Teja Shankara.

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Some people think a vegan diet means no fun, but this vegan yogini is here to say that there are so many delicious vegan taste sensations! One of my favorite little joys in life is creating fun new vegan snacks. A few days ago, I delighted in the following taste sensation, and I hope that you will enjoy it too!

Teja’s Crackle & Pop Vegan Snack

coconut oil
cinnamon
mild curry powder
Himalayan krystal salt
golden raisins
pumpkin seeds
pecans
coconut palm sugar

Adjust the amounts to your personal liking. Heat coconut oil in skillet with the spices and salt. Add raisins for a few minutes, then add seeds and nuts. After a few more minutes, sprinkle with sugar. Sauté, stirring frequently, until a few minutes after you hear the first seed pop.  Be sure to stay with this snack, to avoid burning it…

Whilst taking the photo of this snack, it was crackling and popping! I felt as if the food was talking with me, and I felt Deep Gratitude for that moment in time. 

May all beings find delight in the small joys of life.

Om Shanti (Peace), 

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja’s Crackle & Pop Vegan Snack taken by Teja Shankara.

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If you read my last blog article, then you know that my first attempt at this recipe was “a fail.” Well, I am happy to report that when I prepared “Teja’s Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Vegan Delight” again on Thanksgiving Day, it tasted quite delightful! Although I was feeling a tad bit sad that I wasn’t sitting near Amma at her California ashram, I made the very best of the day. I dressed up in Indian clothes that I had purchased in Amma’s store, placed a sparkling bindi on my third eye, and chanted the Gayatri Mantra many times for all the turkeys who were killed for Thanksgiving.

I have always loved Thanksgiving, and I find that being a vegan is no reason to stop celebrating the abundance of the harvest season. After all, there are plenty of ways to create a festive vegan meal. (For the full menu that I created, see “A Vegan Yogini’s Thanksgiving Menu: Turkey-Free!”)

I was filled with Infinite Gratitude as I prepared this vegan stuffing recipe, which of course I did not stuff into a dead bird! My boys really enjoyed this stuffing, topped with cranberry sauce (from a can but organic!)…

Teja’s Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Vegan Delight

Before cooking, I lit candles, burned some of Amma’s fragrant Rose-Sandalwood incense, and turned on a CD of Amma’s Bhajans (devotional songs). Then I placed 3 Tablespoons of walnut oil into a large skillet, turned the burner on medium-high heat, and added the following ingredients, in this order, as I chopped or measured them:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
15 crimini mushrooms, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped (a very full ½ cup)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons dried oregano
½ Tablespoon dried sage
½ teaspoon Himalayan krystal salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ cups pecans
1 ½ cups walnuts

Sauté all of the above ingredients on low heat for a while longer, while tearing the bread. In a large mixing bowl, place 6 full cups of your favorite loaf of bread, torn into small pieces. Currently, my boys and I are really enjoying a specialty artisan bread from the Village Baker in Ashland – it is a hearty loaf called “Basil Garlic -n- Onion”. Add 1 cup of applesauce, ½ cup of vegetable broth, and the sauté to the bowl of bread. Stir gently, being careful to not totally break the bread down into mush!

Place 1 Tablespoon of walnut oil in a pan (I used a 9 ½ x 13 glass pan), and spread the stuffing evenly in the pan, pressing down on the top slightly. Bake at 385 degrees for 40 minutes. I covered it for the first 20 minutes, and then uncovered it for the remaining 20 minutes. Serve with cranberry sauce for a wonderful taste sensation!

Breathing in Gratitude. Breathing out Gratitude.

May all beings everywhere have adequate food, clothing, shelter, and peaceful sleep each day. And may all beings realize that One Bright Energy connects everyone and everything… including the majestic bird beings who grace this sacred planet earth with their beauty.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja with Delightful Stuffing by Teja’s son Gabe. Photo of Teja with sons (Gabe and Zak) taken by Teja Shankara.

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Yesterday morning, when I awoke at 4:00am to take my brother and his wife and baby to the airport, my bleeding cycle began, and it was raining. My adorable six-month-old niece thought that the dark car ride was pretty funny – she smiled and even laughed at me the whole way! When I returned home, I was filled with such a deep love, and I felt in synch with the Flow of the Universe.

By mid-afternoon, the rain turned to snow, and my mind shifted into some hormonally-induced negativities. In Amma’s little book Immortal Light: Divine Mother Ammachi’s Advice to Householders, she says, “Some women experience more negative thoughts during their monthly periods. It is all the more necessary to chant the mantra during that time.” Knowing this, I did a lot of chanting, especially as I took out the ingredients to begin creating my new recipe, “Teja’s Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Vegan Delight.”

Well, that recipe did not turn out so delightful. As my teenage son would say, I was “emo” and the recipe was “a fail.” Our emotional state, when cooking, really does affect the food we create. I even wrote about just that in the helpful hints section of the vegetarian soup cookbook I published! (Love Soups: A Vegetarian Soup Cookbook Inspired by the Soup Devas) Unfortunately, even with lots of mantra chanting, I was not able to maintain a calm, balanced state of mind for preparing that new recipe. I will try it again on Thanksgiving, and if it turns out delightful then I will share it here.

The funny part, which did not seem so funny last night, was that the reason why the recipe failed was like a metaphor for all the watery flowing that was going on yesterday, with the raining and snowing and bleeding and copious tears falling. The recipe failed because I put way too much vegetable broth and then stirred it way too long into the bread, so that the bread broke down into mush and then baked itself back into gooey dough. Uggh! Time to light the Fire in my yogini heart and balance out all that water!

May all beings know Dynamic Acceptance of What IS.

Om Shanti (Peace), 

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of wet day by Teja Shankara.

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In this photo I’m wearing my new beaded eyeglasses necklace that my sweet friend Jill and I made together a few weeks ago. As a highly creative person, I find it necessary to continually engage in artistic expressions. This week I’m focused on creating a vegan Thanksgiving menu, and I’m absolutely filled with Gratitude for the abundance of good, organic foods in my life. Here’s what I’ve got planned ~

~ Curried onion and red lentil dahl. For this hearty, thick soup, I plan to include several different kinds of onions. I’m particularly hoping to find the small pearl onions to plop whole into the pot!

~ Quinoa cooked with parsnips.

~ A raw salad with greens and lots of colorful vegetables.

~ A baked pie pumpkin with cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup drizzled on top.

~ Cranberry sauce. (Canned, but organic!)

~ And finally, a new dish that I am making tonight for the first time, and then I will post the recipe here on the Teja Blog. It’s called “Teja’s Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Vegan Delight” and it’s a “stuffing” that is NOT for stuffing into dead birds! With celery, onions, garlic, mushrooms, pecans, walnuts, your favorite bread, and more, this recipe will be sure to delight all your senses!

May all beings, including the U.S. turkeys, be free to live in harmony.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja wearing new beaded eyeglasses necklace taken by Teja Shankara.

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When I googled “Turkey animal medicine” I was disappointed to read that the Turkey represents the spirit of giving and sacrificing, since it gives everything away so that others may live. Hmmm… That symbolism is quite questionable to my way of vegan thinking. I seriously doubt that all those turkeys really want to be killed so that human beings can feast on their dead bodies. Whilst allowing myself to grieve for the suffering that millions of turkeys will endure this month (in the U.S.), I’m also intending to spend some time chanting (singing) for the turkeys on Thanksgiving Day.

In my last blog article, “A Plea for Everyone in the U.S. to Consider Going Vegetarian/Vegan this Thanksgiving!” I pointed out that the meat industry contributes to about 18% of global green house emissions. With that being the case, even if people simply reduce the amount of meat they consume, that reduction will help the environment. For many people, it is difficult to give up animal products all at once, primarily because the body-mind is attached to (and also addicted to) the animal products. Thus, I am simply asking that people begin by reducing the amount of animal products that they ingest.

Why not begin with this Thanksgiving Day? There are so many delicious ways to go vegetarian or vegan on this U.S. holiday! For example, here is the vegan menu that I prepared for Thanksgiving, 2009:

~ Teriyaki tempeh: tempeh marinated in toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, agave syrup, and orange zest… then cooked in a skillet on medium heat.

~ Stuffed squash: baked winter squash stuffed with a sauté of extra virgin olive oil, onions, garlic, sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts, dried cranberries, Himalayan krystal salt, oregano, and sage. 

~ Festive rice: brown rice and wild rice cooked together, then tossed with coconut oil, dried mint, cumin powder, dried figs, and shredded coconut.

~ Raw salad: arugula, oranges, raw ginger root, raw turmeric root, carrots, and fresh lemon juice.

~ Cooked beets.

~ Curried onion soup.

~ Cranberry sauce (out of a can, but organic!)

~ Almost raw pumpkin pie, recipe adapted from “Raw Pumpkin Pie Recipe” by The Raw Foods Witch. (Her recipe calls for raw pumpkin, but I used cooked pumpkin.)

In my soup cookbook, Love Soups: A Vegetarian Soup Cookbook Inspired by the Soup Devas, the soups are arranged by season, and a few of the Fall and Winter Soups would grace the Thanksgiving table in a lovely way… I’m thinking of Butternut Squash Soup, Coconut Spiced Yam Soup, and Harvest Moon Soup. You can read the Harvest Moon Soup recipe on the “Book Excerpts” page of this website.

Currently I am planning my vegan Thanksgiving menu for this year, so I will soon share details here on the Teja Blog. One thing that has already occurred to me is that I don’t want to make any more “stuffing” ~ no more “stuffing” bread into dead birds for this vegan yogini! Instead, I plan to create something called “Teja’s Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Vegan Delight”.

May all meat-eating human beings consider reducing their consumption of animal products.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja’s Vegan Thanksgiving (2009) by Teja Shankara. Love Soups book cover designed by Gaelyn Larrick.

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“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white or women for men.” ~ Alice Walker

The suffering of the creatures was the primary reason I shifted to a vegan diet. I simply cannot bear the thought of causing harm to the animals, birds, fish, and bees. As Alice Walker so succinctly pointed out, they exist for their own reasons. This month I have tuned in to the suffering of the turkeys, because millions of them will die for the U.S. Thanksgiving Holiday. After seeing turkeys in the wild, and experiencing their Beauty and Majesty, I couldn’t imagine ever again eating one of our gorgeous winged relations. 

With the sorrow of the turkeys’ deaths hanging heavy in my heart, I ask everyone in the United States to please consider going vegetarian or vegan this Thanksgiving. On behalf of all those turkeys, and with concern for all the fearful energies that millions of people will ingest through the cooked dead turkey meat, I am asking everyone in the United States to please take a few moments of silence and meditate upon the lifeblood of the turkeys.

Contemplate the fear and agony the turkeys will feel as they are being killed, and ask yourselves if you really want to take in those fearful energies. Everything, everything, everything is energy. Even Oprah says so! We are all connected in one continuous web of energy. If you eat dead turkey meat, then you take in the anxious energies that the turkey experienced while dying. Please consider going vegetarian or vegan for Thanksgiving.

In my next blog article I will share some vegetarian/vegan Thanksgiving menu ideas and recipes. And, inspired by the turkeys’ plight this month, I’ve done some research and learned that the meat industry contributes to about 18% of global green house emissions. So, even if people don’t feel compassion for the creatures, they might be inspired to reduce their meat consumption in order to help the environment. Therefore, I will soon be announcing the Voices for Vegetarianism Campaign. Stay tuned…

May all beings everywhere live in Freedom and Harmony, including the turkeys in the good ‘ole U.S. of A.

Om Shanti (Peace), 

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of turkey from the blog article “Thanksgiving Turkey Bird Facts” by Sienna Hudson.

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Well, I just have to write a blog on this magical date of 11-11-11… And, I’m writing it about the simply amazing breakfast I enjoyed early this morning. Often the small joys in life are the most profound. As I ate that bowl full of warm food-medicine, I speculated that one day I will live in a vegan community in a warm climate, and I will prepare incredibly delicious foods in a healing café that many people will visit, from all over the world… but, back to this now moment! Here I am, a simple vegan yogini in a cold town, blissing out with Deep Abundant Gratitude for the fabulous vegan breakfast I enjoyed today. With the recipes below, you too can soon delight in this vegan creation! And, please stay tuned for the details of the Voices for Vegetarianism Campaign which will soon be revealed on this blog!

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

Teja’s Amazing Apple Breakfast Sensation
1 cup Teja’s Savory Applesauce (recipe below)
¼ cup walnuts
1 corn tortilla

Pour the applesauce and walnuts into a skillet. Stir, then move to one side of the pan. Place the corn tortilla next to the sauce. Heat, turning the tortilla over once. Then, using the stirring spoon, gently break the tortilla into several small pieces. Serve in your favorite breakfast bowl. Breathe deeply, and cultivate Deep Gratitude for the healing you are receiving through this simple vegan food.

Teja’s Savory Applesauce
1 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
1 small-medium yellow onion, chopped finely
¼ teaspoon mild curry powder
¼ teaspoon Himalayan krystal salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
5 apples with peels – 2 big and 3 small (suggest Fuji or similar variety) – cored and chopped
5 cups water
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 Tablespoons coconut palm sugar (low glycemic index!)

While I was preparing this applesauce for the first time, my older son came home from school. He took one look at the cutting board full of apples, and asked, “What’s for dinner, apples?” I chuckled as I continued making the applesauce. First, sauté the onion in the coconut oil with the curry, krystal salt, and garlic powder, for 10-15 minutes on medium-high heat. Next, add the water, chopped apples, cinnamon, and coconut sugar. Bring to boil, then simmer covered until all is soft. Pour into a glass bowl and mash with a potato masher. Enjoy!

Happy 11-11-11 to one and all… And remember to watch for the upcoming Voices for Vegetarianism Campaign! You won’t want to miss this dynamic new way to help reduce global green house emissions.

May all beings live in harmony, free of suffering. This includes the turkeys, so may many of the human beings in the United States consider a vegetarian Thanksgiving this year. More blogs to follow on ways to go vegetarian or vegan for Thanksgiving. 

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of apples (given to Teja by Amma) taken by Teja Shankara.

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Did you know that sesame seeds are the most abundant source of calcium? They have ten times more calcium than cow’s milk and more protein than chicken or beef! And did you further know that properly produced wheatgrass juice contains well over a hundred vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants? Wheatgrass juice can single-handedly support the human body! I learned these things, and so much more, by reading I Am Grateful: Recipes & Lifestyle of Café Gratitude, by Terces Engelhart with Orchid.

I Am Grateful had been on my shelf for a few years, but I just hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet. I had eaten at one of the Café Gratitude restaurants though. Last June (2010), when I attended the training program with Insight Prison Project in San Rafael, California, I was delighted to discover that there was a Café Gratitude right across the street! As a vegan I was just thrilled to eat lunch there every day that week, and it was so fun to experience the ordering process. At Café Gratitude, each item on the menu is an affirmation, so when you place your order, you say something like “I Am Sensational” or “I Am Cheerful”, and then when the server brings your food, they say “You Are Sensational” or “You are Cheerful”. 

In addition to opening several living foods restaurants, Terces and her husband Matthew have invented an explorational board game, The Abounding River, that introduces people to their view of being abundance. And, they have written The Abounding River Personal Logbook that offers a 42-day practice in “opening up to the unceasing flow of everything.” After reading about their philosophy and lifestyle in I Am Grateful, I am inspired to get that workbook. Actually, I spontaneously used the recipe book as a workbook, because along with all the great information, delicious live food recipes, and inspiring quotes, there are wonderfully probing questions, such as: “For whom or what can you kneel and kiss the ground?” “Do you adore the person in the mirror?” “When do you experience the ecstatic?” Without planning to, I found myself writing my answers to the questions throughout the book! Such a beautiful self-reflection process!

I Am Grateful was one of those books that I was sad when it was over, but the beauty continues as I am now trying out the recipes. A few nights ago I made the “Peppery Avocado Caesar Dressing” and it tasted so fabulous on fresh romaine lettuce. And, it was fun to get the blender out again. Some of the recipes call for the use of a food processor or dehydrator, and I don’t have either of those (yet), but I’m not letting that stop me. Since I tend to improvise and change recipes as I go anyway, I’ll just keep trying the recipes while following my inner guidance.

I am really grateful to Terces and Orchid for publishing this high vibration recipe book. We really need books like this to inspire people to eat plant-based diets. As they write in I Am Grateful, “The meat and dairy industries are resource-dense; they require a lot of fossil fuels, water, and other resources. By eating vegan you make more food and resources available for all of us. In recent years the exposure of factory farming and its cruelty to animals has become more apparent; by eating vegan you vote for the ending of this cruelty. You also stop ingesting the violent energy that is held deep within the tissues of these animals. We are becoming more aware that animal foods are not healthy for the human body. We have to transform everything we eat, and animal foods require the most energy to transform, keeping us slow, less alert, and less active.”

The organic, vegan, living foods served in the Café Gratitude restaurants provide a wonderful example of what is possible on a diet that is free of animal products. Many people wonder if they will be able to get enough protein on a vegan diet, and I used to wonder that myself when I first shifted from a vegetarian to a vegan diet, but then I met someone who eats only raw foods, and he told me that the primary concern is not about protein, but rather it is about healthy fats and oils. Terces mentions this as well, when sharing what she and Matthew experienced when they first tried a living foods diet. She writes, “We came to realize that it was healthy fat we were craving when we thought it was protein. An avocado, a few macadamia nuts, or olives sustained us well.”

I could write all day about how much I loved this book! If you get this book and try the recipes yourself, let me know what you think… 

May all beings everywhere have plenty of healthy food to eat each day. May all beings know the Bliss that arises from a Grateful Heart.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of I Am Grateful on Teja’s coffee table taken by Teja Shankara.

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