#momlife Archives - the Masala Girl

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Desserts & Baked Goods Misc Recipes Vegan

My Day with the Wolves & Challah Bread recipe

Happy Mindful & Meatless Monday! What’s up???
Still feeling this incredible amount of energy from yesterday’s Super Bowl. I spent the majority of my youth in South Jersey, and having the Eagles win was awesome!
My dear friends Caroline & Doug hosted a spectacular vegan Super Bowl party! Was so delicious. I ate too much…and I felt it on the treadmill today lol.

Check out the interview I did some time ago with Caroline on the blog here:
http://themasalagirl.com/blog/?p=525

She has transitioned from vegetarian to vegan since the interview.

Here are a couple drool worthy pics of the party food. The Oreo “ice cream” pie – OMG!

Good times for sure, and a great way to “kickoff” the week!

Going way back to Saturday the day before the decadence and madness of the Super Bowl, I want to share a very moving experience I had called “Reiki and the Wolves” at Wolf Connection in Acton, CA. It was such a beautiful & insightful day of healing and connection that I am full of gratitude for.
Reiki Master teacher Stella Davies started our groups journey by giving us all a gift of Rutilated Smokey Quartz which promotes spiritual growth, healing, balance & emotional calming, as well as repelling negative energy💫
Isn’t it lovely?

The wolf encounter part was out of this world, as you can imagine. We were invited to sit inside their enclosure and let them come to us if they wanted to engage.
After several minutes of just watching them in complete fascination, I was blown away when I received huge, wet smooches on my face from Ayasha the wolf/coyote/dog! I may never wash my face. 🙂
Here she is in all her glory:

One of our guides for the day, Amanda, is a psychologist. She brought several of us to tears discussing the lives of the individual wolves themselves, and how their stories and life experiences might make a connection in us and bring healing on a personal level.

We finished off the day with a guided meditation with Surreina Gallegos, and then a “share” in which we discussed our experiences within small groups. And last but not least, we randomly selected a “wolf card” which would turn out to not be so random at all – in fact this card would have significant meaning for us on a personal level. After picking our card, we headed over to the actual wolf from our card pick to have some “quiet time” together. Powerful stuff!
Here is the card I picked:

My card pick was trippy AF because at the beginning of the day we set an intention and well the card was spot on for me, you can’t make this $hit up. And seriously hanging with wolves, it doesn’t get much cooler.

Here is the beautiful Charlee:

You can read about her story here:
https://wolfconnection.org/the-pack/

Location was gorgeous too – felt like I was in Arizona, not a stone’s throw from LA. Check it out!

Here is the link to their website:
https://wolfconnection.org/

Just a reminder that wolves, and wolf-dog hybrids are not pets…way too many of these beautiful animals being euthanized because people were inspired by movies or TV shows to purchase an animal that should be wild and in it’s natural habitat. I know it’s tempting, I’m a Game of Thrones fan too – but no, just no!
Also, if you have little kiddos please take a moment to educate them on wolves. It drives me nuts that movies and books geared for preschoolers still portray wolves as these vicious killers.

In other news – the twins slept through the night last night! Super Bowl Sunday exhaustion?
They will be 5 the end of May…seriously beginning to lose hope I will ever sleep again.
I have started the nighttime ritual of adding essential oils to their bath.

Maybe I need a bath with essential oils…oh wait, what? You have four kids? Que the sinister laugh…

How does this segue into Challah bread you may ask? Get ready for Mindful Monday “Breaditation”!

WTF is “Breaditation” you may ask? It’s my feeling that bread making is mindfulness at it’s sweetest. You have to stay present, slow down, and focus while making bread. Making Challah is one of many weekly baking activities with the twins. It’s my favorite one on one time with them – with reading coming in a very close second.

We love to bake together, and in fact I’m dreading Kindergarten because it will screw up our baking time. That’s what weekends are for right?

Anyhow, this recipe came from my in-laws. In fact there really was no recipe – I just had to stand over them and measure everything the last time they were here and then tweak the recipe until it worked.
You can make 2 Challah loaves with it. Sometimes we make 1 loaf and then 6 really big knotted dinner rolls. Enjoy the carbs with no guilt, you deserve it!

Prepare 2 cookie sheets by lining them with a silpat or parchment paper, set aside.

2 1/2 cups water
2 pkgs active dry yeast
4 heaping tablespoons organic sugar
8 cups organic all-purpose flour, plus extra for your hands and table
1 tablespoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric – optional (gives it a golden hue)
1/3 cup Grapeseed oil, plus extra to grease your bowl
2 tablespoons vanilla soymilk, or nut milk of choice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Stir and set aside for 5 minutes. Yeast mixture should get foamy – if not your yeast is dead and you should start over with a new package of yeast.
Add flour to yeast mixture, stir to combine with a spatula & cover with kitchen towel – let it sit for 20 minutes. Then add salt, turmeric, and oil to the yeast mixture.
Begin to knead the mixture with your hands until it forms a dough.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a large greased bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap, or a kitchen towel.
Let the dough rest for 1 hour.
The dough should have doubled at this time.
Punch it down, and divide it in half.

Take one half and divide it into thirds. Roll each third into a snake or rope about the length of your cookie sheet. Braid the “ropes” and pinch the ends together. Repeat on the second cookie sheet with the other half of dough.

Cover the dough braids with a towel and let rise for 25 to 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350.

Remove towel, and brush the braids with the “milk” and sprinkle with sesame seeds. You want just enough “milk” to get the sesame seeds to “stick”, not soak the loaves.

Bake the loaves on separate racks for 30 to 40 minutes or until the loaves are a beautiful golden brown.

Let them cool for about 10 minutes and then place on a cooling rack to cool completely, wrap and store on the counter for a couple of days – or wait 20 minutes and serve warm.

*tips*

**I like to use 2 cookie sheets together to prevent bottom from excessive browning.

**don’t use extra flour unless you really need it or your dough will get dry.

**besides plant milks for the “wash” you can use pineapple juice or maple syrup mixed with a bit of water. Typically an egg wash is used to give it that sheen which you don’t get with plant-based alternatives, but they still look & taste great! I also like to not add the wash & just give it a sprinkle of flour – gives it a nice natural look.

**I always use a scale when I divide the dough to make sure my strands are all the same size. You can definitely eyeball it tho.

***It’s wise not to only go by time to determine if your challah is properly proofed after braiding. About 25 minutes into proofing press the dough gently with your knuckle or finger. If the dough springs back right away, it needs more time proofing. But if it springs back slowly and leaves a small indent, that baby is ready to bake.

**if your oven doesn’t heat evenly turn your loaves halfway through the baking process.

For best results I like to use a kitchen scale to weigh out the ingredients.

***measurements when you prefer to use a scale:
525g of water
14g or 2 pkgs active dry yeast
75g of sugar
1000g/1 kg of all-purpose flour, plus extra for your hands & table
16g kosher salt
70g grapeseed oil (or any neutral tasting oil)

Use method instructions above.

Have a great week, be present and spread love!

Peas & Love,
Sadhna

Indian Kids Recipes Spiritual Treasures Vegan

Gratitude & my Chana Dal recipe

Happy Mindful & Meatless Monday!
Thankful the flu bug that had us housebound the past two weeks is finally gone.
I found some time to get back in the kitchen and work out the kinks for a chana dal recipe that I think you’re going to really enjoy. It’s got enough going on with the spices to make it exotic, but then again it’s tamed enough by the coconut milk that everyone can enjoy it. You can skip over my ramblings to find the recipe below. 🙂

As I mentioned above not a whole lot was going on in the Sheli household except for “cabin fever” last week. “Thank the maker” for Amazon Prime…my first ever Kindle arrived and made being “stuck” in the house far less painful. If you are a reader and sitting on the fence about getting one – get one.
I’m not always comfortable using my phone when the twins (4 yrs) are around, but the Kindle – no problem. I just say “I’m reading a book.”, and they come check it out and then go about their business.
It’s compact and lightweight too – fits in my purse.
I burned through Carrie Fisher’s “The Princess Diarist” in two evenings. I was excited to get my hands on this book (so to speak) from the moment it came out. If you don’t already know, I am a total Star Wars geek.

Check out my t-shirt I got from my oldest girl over the holidays:

Anyway, this book was more than just a peek into behind the scenes of the movie (which made me seriously giddy), there were some real life issues (that many of us can relate to) up close and personal.
#1 Carrie is a child of divorce (like me and I suspect many of you) and at one point in the book she says “So it stood to reason that if I could disappoint my own father – if I couldn’t get my own father to love me enough to stick around or, God forbid, visit more often than one day a year – how was I ever going to get a man who didn’t have to love me like daddies were supposed to?” How f’ing deep is that? Went straight to the bone for me.
Having that lack of having my father in my life definitely shaped me into the person I became as a young woman and the choices I made in men back then. I’m ever grateful for therapy, a bit of luck and divine intervention that for marriage number two I made a beautiful choice in a wonderful, caring, and kick-ass husband.
#2 Age, cameras, and loving your body right now.
My hubby and I were watching an episode of “The Crown” this week and “Winston Churchill” was distraught by the image of himself an artist had painted. It was not the image of him in his prime, but of who he was right then and there in that moment of his life. He didn’t want to see himself that way, it was uncomfortable and distressing – he eventually burns the image.
So, then I’m reading Carrie Fisher’s book and in it she talks about this image thing.
“I didn’t like my face when I should have and now that it’s melted, I look back on that face fondly.”
Hello yes, I could totally relate!
Especially that ex-model part of me. The perfectionist me. The I’ve had 4 kids and ain’t nothing going to ever look the same part of me.
So, thanks to Carrie for being so kind as to bring things out into the light that many of us are feeling/thinking but don’t have the balls or self awareness to say ourselves.

Which brings me to “gratitude”.
I was looking for a way to practice gratitude with the twins (4yrs) and after a Google search for “practicing gratitude”, many things came up – but these jars really caught my eye.
I thought what a great concept, something tangible for the twins to help them focus on what is good in their lives – as well as a fantastic tool for us grown folks to create an awareness of what we are grateful for in our lives. I can’t wait to look back at the end of the year and read all the little slips of paper.

My sweetheart of a 16 year old found this great jar for us:

Finally we get to the Chana Dal recipe. Soaking the dal overnight, or at least an hour if you can swing it cuts the cooking time. This dal maintains a bit of it’s texture unlike some of the others that tend to “melt” during the cooking process. The term “tadka” means spices fried in oil/ghee (to enhance their flavor). My recipe calls for 1 dried red chili, you can add more if you like it spicy. I discard the chili after the cooking process.

Chana Dal
1 cup Chana dal (Desi Chickpeas or Bengal Gram) soaked overnight, or for 1 hour
6 cups vegetable broth
1 tbl ginger grated with a microplane
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt

For the Tadka
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Mix above 3 ingredients with just enough water to form a paste
3 tbl coconut oil (melted)
1 dried red chili (or more if you like heat)
1/2 cup onions, diced

Finishing
1 can coconut milk (I used Trader Joe’s organic)
1/4 cup packed cilantro

Rinse soaked dal, drain and set aside.
Bring 6 cups of vegetable broth to boil in a medium pot.
Add dal, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and salt.
Stir.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook for roughly one hour (stirring occasionally) until dal mashes easily between your fingers.
Tadka:
In a small skillet heat coconut oil over medium heat.
Add red chili, and onions.
Sauté stirring frequently until onions are golden brown.
Add spice paste and stir constantly for 30 seconds, remove from heat.
Add onion spice mixture to the cooked dal.
Stir in the coconut milk.
Stir in the cilantro.
Serve over rice, with tortillas or an Indian flatbread, or on it’s own. Enjoy!

Have a great week!
Peas & Love,
Sadhna

Recipes Vegan Vegetarian

Where I’ve been, plus Macaroni & Sautéed Mushrooms with “Cream” Sauce

Hello!
I can’t believe more than a year has passed since my last post. Time flies when you are “creative”, or “easily distracted”, have 4 kids ranging in age from teens to preschoolers, or seem to have the bad habit of putting too many logs on the fire.
2016 was quite the adventure…
*moved – always a joy!
*completed a Professional Plant-Based cooking course with Rouxbe cooking school.
*started a regular yoga practice.
*got the first story in my picture book series illustrated.

So here we are 7 months into 2017.
I’ve been trying to be more balanced this year and not take on too many “projects” and focus more on feeding the fire I already have going.

One of the huge logs on my fire is my picture book – Firehouse 1!
Firehouse 1 is a great way to help children become more familiar with firefighters and their gear, so in the event of a real life fire situation children won’t be frightened or intimidated by the firefighters sent in to rescue them.
The book features a diverse cast, and breaks gender stereotypes by empowering girls and engaging boys with strong female characters. It’s geared towards children ages 2 to 6.

Check out the link here to explore and purchase my book:
https://www.amazon.com/Firehouse-Fire-Bakery-Sadhna-Sheli/dp/0692877614/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1497915468&sr=8-13

On another note, I have seriously been enjoying this summer. Not the heat mind you, just the freedom of more time and the beach. I’ve also been feeding my soul with good reading, and this weekend I had the pleasure of taking an incredible seminar at my yoga studio on Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a powerful mind-body health system originating in India that is thousands of years old. Growing up having a mom from India, Yoga and Ayurveda were just commonplace in our household. I never really appreciated, or gave either much thought until the past few years. The seminar was given by Merissa of Blissful Balance Ayurveda (check out her site below). She was very knowledgeable and made exploring the subject fun and exciting.

http://blissfulbalanceayurveda.com/

Definitely a subject I want to explore more. If you want to have some fun and learn more about Ayurveda, check out this site:
http://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/assessment/Dosha?gclid=CjwKCAjwtdbLBRALEiwAm8pA5fv5J8Cj_kRIjYNPBrnN9vdEo7W-Vm-5-HoVan5shBrLgLYnDG7BMBoCtp0QAvD_BwE

A few of you have asked for the recipe for this dish I posted via Instagram. It’s base is this wonderful “white sauce” I learned from Rouxbe. You will need to use a high speed blender like a Vitamix to prepare this. The sauce is also fantastic over grilled, steamed, sautéed or roasted veggies. Sometimes I use “eggless” noodles and do a stroganoff vibe for this dish, or macaroni is always fun. Either way it’s a crowd pleaser. Best served immediately, it thickens as it sits.

Macaroni & Sautéed Mushrooms with “Cream” Sauce

For the white sauce:

2 cups raw cashews
4 to 6 cups warm water

In a medium bowl, soak the cashews in water for 3 to 4 hours to soften. Strain, reserving the cashews and discarding the liquid. Rinse with fresh water, strain. Set aside.

Preparing the sauce:

1 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
2 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp onion granules
generous pinch of garlic powder
pinch of nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
pinch of white pepper
1 tsp sea salt (optional)

Heat a pan on low to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and sweat for at least 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, to bring out the flavor until translucent. Next add the garlic and sweat for an additional couple of minutes.

Transfer the cooked onions and garlic into the blender.

To finish the sauce, add the cashews, the vegetable stock, garlic, nutritional yeast, onion granules, garlic powder, nutmeg, white pepper and salt (if using). Blend on high speed until smooth. Add more vegetable broth if you want to have a thinner consistency.

Finish the dish:

olive oil or Earth Balance/vegan butter – just enough to sautée the mushrooms
1 to 1 1/2 10 oz packages fresh mushrooms, diced
Several generous shakes of garlic powder and onion granules
1lb of macaroni
1 tbsp of sea salt to season pasta water

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil, or vegan butter.
Add the mushrooms, garlic powder, and onion granules. Sautée stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with at least one tablespoon of salt. Add pasta. Cook according to package directions. Strain. Add a dollop of Earth Balance or vegan butter to the pot. Return strained pasta to pot and stir until coated with “butter”.
Add mushrooms, stir. Add sauce. Stir until pasta is coated with sauce. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!

Have a great rest of your week!

Peas & Love
Sadhna

Kids Product Reviews

Honest Diaper Review

Adorable and they work! Not the twins, the diapers!
I’ve been down this path before, the natural diaper path. It was over 15 years ago with my oldest son. It didn’t go so well, there was this horrible diaper blowout in line at the post office that ran down my leg into my flip flop…I’m still traumatized.

Enter Honest Diapers. About a year ago I happened to be reading an article on Jessica Alba in Health Magazine, she was talking about her company which carries natural diapers among other things. It really got my attention since I spend a large part of my day changing diapers with twins, and I’m all about natural, when it works.

I went on the website, and they had me at “ultra absorbent”. Ok, I admit it was really because I was totally smitten with how cute they are. After a quick comparison of what I was paying for my Huggies Pure & Natural diapers, I couldn’t believe the price was pretty much the same, plus it included wipes. I decided to bite the bullet, and place an order. When the box arrived my mom, older daughter, and I oohed and aahed (seriously no exaggeration). The diapers really are darling.

Skip ahead almost a year later, and I’m still using them. If you do experience leaking, I suggest going up a size. With the proper size, I haven’t had any blowouts or leaking-even at night.

A word of warning when you order samples or a bundle, it automatically generates a subscription. If you don’t want to subscribe, be sure to cancel right away. You have to call in to cancel, which is definitely not convenient.
*update since this blog post was written – these diapers and other fantastic Honest products are available at Whole Foods, Target, and elsewhere. Besides the diapers, I couldn’t make it through my day without the healing balm and wipes. I also moved on and through their training pants. Happy to announce the twins are potty trained, but I continue using other Honest products.

The Honest Company website: https://www.honest.com/

**Check out some of their items here by clicking on the Amazon link below. This link is an affiliate link, your purchase costs will be the same but The Masala Girl will automatically receive a small commission, thanks for your support. 🙂

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