Butternut Squash Lasagna

The sisters are back in action! Not exactly cooking or blogging together, but definitely being together. Being there for each other, loving, crying and laughing when necessary. One thing Bianca noted about our friendship today was that unlike other people when there's a time to laugh and a time to cry, there just isn't for us. We laugh when we should cry and cry when we should laugh, honestly it's soothing.

You all probably know how I am by now, when I find a recipe that I really really want to make but somehow it takes FOREVER for me to get around to it. Well this is one of those recipes. I literally have had this recipe bookmarked for months now. Something seemed to always get in the way, but not tonight! And with Bianca, James and a fabulous bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon we had a wonderful evening.

Recipe
1 box of brown rice lasagna noodles
1 jar of marinara sauce
1 butternut squash
1 sweet onion
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lb of spinach

Peel, spoon out the seeds and cube the butternut squash. Dice the onion and toss with the squash, a drizzle of grapeseed oil and the red pepper flakes. Be careful not to give it too much spice! Roast in a baking dish at 425 degrees until the squash is tender about 30 minutes. Once tender puree in a food processor till creamy.
Boil the noodles until very al dente. Steam the spinach and drain. Layer in an 9x9 pan starting with sauce, then noddles, then butternut squash puree, then spinach, then sauce again. Add a second layer of noddles, butternut squash puree, spinach then sauce. One last layer of noodles then sauce.
Bake at 425 degrees covered with foil for about 20 minutes. Spoon out carefully with a spatula, lasagna can get messy!
Bianca, as usual, was very skeptical hovering over me wondering what spices I was using. But she and James both liked it! I was so proud of my accomplishment! My dad even had some, and he actually had seconds! Really, this recipe is simple for a lasagna so you should try it!

This is what the Lord is speaking to me today:

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonions 5:16-18

Paul is serious and so is God, give thanks in ALL circumstances, the worst included. This is the WILL OF GOD, what could I possibly want more as a woman living to please the Lord than to seek His will. So I am, I am being thankful in any and all of my circumstances. Know that even if you are in the darkest place, you can rejoice because God is madly in love with you and His love is everlasting.

"He's got your back," says the inspiring James Catalano.

In His love,
<3 Dani

Sushi Night

Tonight my mom and I had a total sushi night! Though my mom failed to actually try my sushi, she tends to get weary of my cooking, but I will say this sushi combination wasn't something I would highly recommend. I am more putting it on the blog for the idea of a sushi night and everything that goes along with it. I am really into themes with my cooking, it makes it so much more fun! I love exploring foods by cultures!

Not to change the topic or anything but one thing I am learning is that NOTHING can separate me from the love of God I have found in Jesus. And that I have in my mom. She is such a strong woman, who has carried me through so much. Her ability to let me cry when I need it but then to say to me, "Okay it's time to laugh" and make me laugh so easily is the best medicine! This is a relationship blessed by the Lord. We really enjoyed each other tonight. Dinner time at home here with my mom and Dad becomes such a laugh, especially when some of my weirder food choices are involved.

My mom offers her input towards dinner and tonight she made a delicious tea. Sticking with our Japanese theme she got creative and combined green tea with ginger tea. I bought that tea kettle and cup when I was in Japan on a missions trip a few years back. It was fun to bring it out tonight. Very nice touch to the meal mom :)

Always edamame with sushi guys, it's a Japanese favorite and is so easy when you buy a bag at Trador Joe's or Costco! Simple heat, or don't if you like it cold like we do and serve with an empty bowl for the pods! To make sushi, check out my previous post of sushi here. The roll I made tonight had steamed asparagus and baked sweet potato. I totally understand why anyone else would think it was wierd, I wouldn't make it again or anything but I ate it. I was craving sweet potato and sushi so I thought I'd try them together, lol. What's the fun of cooking if it never gets a little off course?!

A little more on course, sushi requires soy sauce. The healthiest choice would be Nama Shoyu which is raw unpasteurized soy sauce but it's pretty pricey. If you can tolerate wheat then Tamari, gluten-free soy sauce is great. I've been reading that there's some controversy over Bragg's Liquid Amino's, I still use it occasionally, there's controversy over everything, but I will say that I don't know enough to make a decision quite yet on exactly what I think about it. Whatever soy sauce you choose it is delicious to add freshly grated ginger! So that was a wrap up of our sushi dinner!

This whole sister in Christ thing is for real too guys. Bianca has covered me in love and held me together when things have gotten so rough. She may have slacked on the blog a bit guys, but she never slacks on me or our friendship. God has blessed me with amazing people in my life and for that I am so thankful. May I say too that my faithful follower James is an amazing friend who has been there for me through so much. THANK YOU!

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

In His Love,
<3 Dani

Community Garden Work Day

I get to be a part of one of the coolest projects!! At Shoreline Community Church where I work in Children's ministry we are starting a community garden in hopes of feeding the impoverished families living in the apartments around the church. I feel like God is making all of my dreams come true, I mean really? This garden is all set to go and there are 16 beds already built up. The church is funding everything and I get to have all the fun in the world planning and planting for a beautiful summer harvest! The beds haven't been kept up and the weeds have begun taking over. We are having a work day and need all the help we can get. All the info is below! Any questions feel free to ask!

When: Saturday, March 12^th, 2011 beginning at 9:00 and ending tentatively after lunch time, Breakfast and Lunch provided

Where: Shoreline Community Church, garden area, far left of the church office building

Tools Needed: shovels, rakes, gloves, trash bags, hose, trowels, fertilizer, compost

Goal: Clean up all the garden area and prepare for planting this upcoming season! Mostly weeding the beds and surrounded areas, clearing out old plants and improving the soil conditions.

Blessings,
<3 Dani

The Plant Cafe

It's funny how my blog has become a place where I advertise for restaurants but it is a great place to promote healthy eateries. And boy have I found a new great place! Though most of my readers are from Santa Barbara it's still fun to hear about great food. And now when you're in the bay area now you know where to eat! This place is at Pier 3 in San Francisco between Washington and Broadway. It's absolutely fabulous, on the water and very classy inside. The food was superb and they serve kombucha on tap! Which I am huge fan of currently however we order Pina Colada flavor and it was not my favorite.

Bianca, who always asks for a recommendation from the waiter took her advice. Ryan and her both ordered the plant burger and they agreed: excellent! The burger was home-made from lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews, bulgur wheat and topped with roasted onion, lettuce, aioli, house made ketchup, and was served with a side of mixed greens and roasted potatoes.

I ordered a dish of corn meal crusted tempeh in a pomegranate reduction with sautéed brussel sprouts all served over quinoa with crispy shallots and olives. The flavors were delicious! I want to somehow try and make a version of this tempeh though it will be tricky.

James ordered the chili-lime marinated chicken breast panini with fresh mango and home-made aioli. I asked James, who is sitting here with me to act as a food critic. He said it was good, the chicken didn't have any lime taste though, the mango was a good touch but it needed avocado. We both realized that the sandwich was supposed to come with avocado but it didn't come on his!! So bummer to The Plant Cafe....but this sandwich could have been a hit if it was prepared right. Everyone makes mistakes, we all would go back again and overall it was really fun to eat here!

I love leaving healthy restaurants and feeling really good. Not overly full or heavy, or as Ryan says ready to take a nap. You feel like you should after you eat, like you fed your body what it needed and you're no longer hungry. Treat you're body like a holy temple and you'll feel the difference. Trust me, I understand it's not always an easy task choosing the healthy option. And unfortunately in our society the healthy option is always noted for being less tasty which I only agree with in part and actually most of the time refuse to agree with altogether. Either way the point is that healthy eating is a key piece to the puzzle of experiencing a wholesome life. My prayer is for people to become empowered to experience that life.

Notice that healthy eating is only a piece to the puzzle, though a very important piece nothing can replace the value of a life in Christ. Without it one can not even begin to experience life at all, in fact the Bible says we're dead in our trespasses before repentance and acceptance of the grace set apart for us at the cross.

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5

It's free, accept His great love, salvation is waiting.

In His hand,
<3 Dani

New Herbs and Redemption

The other day I finally got around to planting new herbs in my pots! Same pots as last year's herb garden, only when I went home for the summer and left them with a friend they died...a kind of horrible death in fact. When I picked up the pots after those warm months they looked so sad and dried up.
Maybe I'm over spiritualizing it but I felt like as I tore up these old plants and replanted them with new, fresh and thriving herbs I couldn't help but think of God's redemption.

"If we are children of God, we have a tremendous treasure in Nature. In every wind that blows, in every night and day of the year, in every sign of the sky, in every blossoming and in every withering of the earth, there is a real coming of God to us if we will simply use our starved imagination to realize it." Oswald Chambers

God really met me out there while I was gardening, in His creation he demonstrated this truth of redemption to me. If I can't believe than I am completely new, that my old self is done away with how can I really even move forward? I refuse to live in regret. I feel like it would be a pity to what the cross has taken care of. My sinful nature. Completely done away with. It has to be.
The gift of redemption is one of the greatest gifts. That I get to walk in freedom not chained at all to any of the ways I have acted. Thank you God. No one cane give you this gift, except God and you can not work for it or earn it, for it is free and given to you by His never ending grace.

The choice is ours, mine, to choose to believe that I am filled with the Spirit and being led into life and away from sin. Will I fall short? Yes, continually, but the beauty is that I am ever being redeemed and further conformed into His image.

Believe His love for you covers everything.

In Him,
Dani

Valentine's and Mediterranean Saute

Ryan and I made a great dinner together last night for Valentine's day. I wouldn't say this was my best meal but I also didn't have all of the spices required. You should have seen me rummaging through Ryan's spice racks desperate for turmeric and allspice, but no luck. There was organic dill which was a plus, if you like dill I would try making this saute. I remember Bianca and I made it before and it came out deliciously dilly. I myself love dill and all Mediterranean flavors at that. The variety of vegetables in this dish is quite nice though. I myself would never have thrown green beans, cauliflower, red bell pepper and eggplant together but they seem to work perfectly with one another!

Recipe
1 cup chickpeas
1 cup chopped eggplant
1 red bell pepper, chopped
handful fresh green beans, cut into 1'' pieces
1-2 cups chopped cauliflower florets
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon dry dill (or small bunch of chopped fresh)
1 tablespoon dry oregano (or small bunch chopped fresh)
1 tablespoon dry mint (or small bunch chopped fresh)
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 cup vegetable stock or water
Olive oil for sauteing
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat a little bit of oil and saute the garlic, onion and cauliflower for about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, bell pepper and green beans. Continue sauteing on medium heat. Add the water or veggie broth, the spices and lemon. Add the tomato paste and let cook for about 15 minutes. Serve over long grain brown rice.

Don't skip out or go light on any of the spices, they are necessary and really make this saute what it is. My mistake tonight, but luckily it was still yummy. And here I am with my first set of beautiful RED ROSES from my love. He always makes me feel so special.

Happy Valentine's Day,
<3 Dani

Michael Pollan Lecture

After a fabulous night at the Michael Pollan lecture at the Granada downtown last Thursday this sister is ready to get back in the nutrition swing! I was like a little child on the edge of my seat eating up everything that he was talking about. If you are not aware of who Michael Pollan is then please look into it. He is the leading advocate for the sustainable food movement who has written multiple books unveiling the food industry in this country, among them are The Omnivore's Deilema, In Defense of Food and Food Rules. I was lucky enough to have him sign my book on Thursday night, which means yes I met him! And I was the first one in line!! It was great, absolutely great.

I think most importantly that night God really redirected me towards my dreams, towards the passion that He placed so near to my heart. After experiencing such physical healing as I did myself I want everyone else to know the miracle of the human body to heal itself by God's design. Nutrition has become such a blurred and confusing topic more than anything else, and I want nothing more than to be a part of providing people with the simplicity behind eating Biblically. I want to proved people with the knowledge to treat one's body like a HOLY temple and to empower people to feel the best they can. Our spiritual health is certainly not dependent upon but it is definitely linked to our physical health and I can say that I have experienced all of the darkness that can come along with serious health problems. I can now say that I feel better than ever and have the ability to minister to people in a whole new way, my physical health leads to a great spiritual health that allows me to give of myself in entirety.

So here I am, having just graduated UCSB with a double major in Communications and Religious Studies, saying yes to God's call to pursue nutrition. What exactly that means, He has yet to reveal, but the excitement that is building as I wait upon Him is exhilarating. God's track record of faithfulness in my life is beyond outstanding. I believe with every ounce of my heart that He is going to come through. All I can do is follow my dreams, have the most hope and know that the failure is only in not trying at all.

Be sure to check out Michael Pollan's work, he is quite educated and caught up on all the issues revolving the food industry. I can guarantee you will not be wasting your time!

"...My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." Hosea 4:6

God calls us to be knowledgeable. To be aware of what's going on around us. God gave us this earth and all the living things on it. If we are to be good stewards of what we have been given I believe we have a part to play in bringing justice back to something as near to us as what we eat and where it comes from.

Please be in prayer for me as I embark on this journey towards seeking His plan in all of this. Thanks to all of my followers!

Blessings,
<3 Dani

Breakfast Bowls

Two very simple breakfast bowls that I threw together this last weekend and thought were worth sharing. Breakfast is such an important meal since it's how you start off your whole day. If you can I would definitely recommend starting your day raw. That means, NO COFFEE, however wheatgrass or other vegetable juice will certainly give you that extra kick! If you're an avid coffee drinker just trust that your body doesn't NEED the caffeine, because it doesn't. Ween off slowly or go cold turkey do what you got to do but get off!! I think if anything, a cup of coffee in the afternoon is sufficient. I know it's harder in the winter but here in Santa Barbara we are so blessed that it doesn't actually get that cold and our winter already seems to be over!

Anyways, back to my breakfast bowls. The first one is my traditional applesauce, with some soaked raw buckwheat groats thrown on top. It added a little bit of crunch to the applesauce. Soak buckwheat groats in a bowl over night, no more than 10 hours. Rinse and strain well because as you'll notice they can get quite gummy.

The second one is flaxseed porridge. Simply add about 2 T water to every T freshly ground flaxseed. Let soak and very shortly you'll notice the flaxseed will soak the water and become like a porridge, add a teaspoon of cinnamon and possibly more water depending on how thick you want it. Mix well so the cinnamon is all throughout and top with peaches and blueberries! You could also add some agave or honey if you would prefer something sweeter.

The morning sets your tone for the whole day so it is also very important for your spiritual health to have a quiet, unstressful morning. This is why I believe morning devotions are so wonderful, whether it's 5 minutes or an hour. Just giving that little time to the Lord really sets your heart and mind on the things above, on Him. Now, I know how hard it is on early mornings to do this so I am preaching to myself as well. Here are some great verses on mornings from the Bible.

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night." Psalm 92:1-2

"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

"For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5

If you're looking for a solid devotional with short readings I would highly recommend Oswald Chamber's My Utmost for His Highest, I am LOVING it!

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

Backyard Bowls

I have been wanting to post about Backyard Bowls for awhile for now. It's an Acai bowl place, probounced Ah-sai-ee, here in Santa Barbara. This Brazilian traditional sweet treat is popping up everywhere in the states now. This place is really healthy, they have great options such as bee pollen, hemp and cashew milk, ground flaxseed and goji berries! I took my mom here and she really enjoyed it as well.

Acai berries are little purple berries that come from the Amazon Rainforests. raved about for their extremely high anti-oxidant content. Antioxidants are so important because they help protect your bodies cells against damage from unstable molecules like free radicals, which can lead to cancer formation. Blueberries have been widely heralded for being high in antioxidants, but the acai berry outranks them by far. The unfortunate thing is that they can be grown here in the U.S., they are imported and during the processes preservation and traveling they loose many valuable nutrients. The other unfortunate side of the acai berry craze is that here in America we almost always ruin a good thing by adding sugar. Which is exactly the case with acai. The great thing about Backyard Bowls is that you can ask for pure acai because they have two options! So be sure to that when you go in there!

I tried the Green Bowl for the first time last week and it's delicious. You might be scared because it's green but the acai is so sweet it overpowers all the broccoli and spinach that are thrown in there also. I always ask for flaxseed instead of granola because I feel like there's so much sugar from all the fruit anyways. Try this one, I dare you! This bowl is SUPER healthy :)

The original Backyard Bowls is downtown Santa Barbara but a newer location opened up in Goleta so be sure to check this place out if you haven't already!!

Blessings,
<3 Dani

p.s. If you really get into acai bowls, they can easily be made at home. You can buy pure acai juice, freeze it, then blend with bananas and whatever else you choose then slice some strawberries and add your favorite toppings like flaxseed or bee pollen! The possibilities are really endless!