Autumnal Collard Lasagna

Last week, we were coming off of a particularly indulgent birthday weekend filled with good friends, great weather and an abundance of delicious food. Not only was my love tank overflowing, but so was our refrigerator, with our weekly CSA bounty and what we purchased for a party on Sunday. 

Don't get me wrong - this is a great problem to have. And our late autumn harvest has been wonderful and chock full of hearty squash, funny looking carrots and dark leafy greens. But in an effort to use what we pay for, we end up eating a lot of roasted vegetable, grain and green bowls. While this is completely delicious a few days a week, I was craving something a bit lighter and more creative to balance out the birthday cake. 

Enter collard lasagna. 

I know what you're thinking. Replacing pasta sheets with raw vegetables can't possibly work. But I'm not looking to create a substitute for your mother's lasagna. Instead, I'm sharing a dish that is autumnal, comforting and wildly nutritious in a format that's just a bit more exciting than your typical weeknight meal. And it's also pretty easy and customizable too. 

We've enjoyed a steady flow of collard greens this CSA season, which has delighted the cruciferous-loving man in my house. They're used for wraps, salads and shakes, and impart great doses of folate, Vitamins A, C and K. The remaining layers of the lasagna are pretty foolproof. Keeping with the autumnal vegetable theme I roasted what was in the refrigerator: onions, butternut squash, heirloom carrots and a melange of wild mushrooms.

In order to hold the vegetables and leaves together, you need some sort of glue. My mind was wandering towards pesto and ricotta. Since I had neither of these things handy, I improvised and used up a few broccoli and collard stalks and raw nuts in the cabinet to whip up a pecan broccoli and collard pesto and a grainy lemon-garlic cashew cream. Depending on your preference, you could use regular ricotta, basil pesto...hell, you could even use hummus. Since this dish is raw, let your imagination run wild. 

When you're done whipping up the components, all you need to do is layer your bricks and mortar in a lasagna dish until you run out of ingredients or room. Then you just pop it in the fridge to set for an hour, use a good knife to cut squares, and voila!  You're ready to fill your body with a delicious and healthy fall meal. 

Autumnal Collard Lasagna

To make this recipe, you'll need a 9 x 13-inch lasanga dish and a bunch of collard greens, rinsed and stems trimmed. You'll want to whip up all of the other lasagna ingredients, and then set them out on a clean counter to artfully build.

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Autumn Vegetable Melange

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 cup wild mushrooms, trimmed and chopped (I used oyster, maitake, and pioppino)

2 medium yellow onions, diced

6 large carrots, washed and diced

1. Set your oven to 400. On a large baking tray, arrange your chopped vegetables in one layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt, and pop in the oven. 

2. Roast for 40 minutes, or until vegetables are soft when poked with a fork. Remove and let cool. 

Lemon-Garlic Cashew "Ricotta" 

1 cup cashews

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup water

1. Boil water and put cashews in a heat safe bowl. Pour boiling water over cashews until they're completely submerged and let sit for 1 hour. 

2. Drain cashews and put in the blender/food processor. Add garlic, lemon, salt and 1/4 cup water and blend until grainy or smooth, depending on your preference. I left mine grainy to have that "ricotta" feel. You might need to add a bit more water to get the consistency you prefer, but tread lightly.

Pecan, Collard and Broccoli Pesto

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup chopped broccoli stalk

1/4 cup collard stems (use from trimming this batch)

1/4 cup nutritiounal yeast

Pinch of sea salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1. Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Depending on the consistency you prefer, you may need to add more olive oil.

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To assemble the lasagna, layer collard leaves in your dish, making sure to cover any gaps (you can use smaller leaves to fill blank spaces). Add a layer of pesto, a layer of roasted vegetables, and then a layer of cashew ricotta, using a wide spatula. Don't worry if it's not perfect - this dish is rustic, and all you need is for some of the glue to be on both sides of the vegetables to hold it together. I sprinkled some fresh thyme on top, before adding another layer of collards. 

Continue layering, ensuring that all gaps between leaves are filled, until you get to the top layer. When you lay down the final layer of collards, use any remaining pesto or ricotta to "glue down" the edges of the leaves on top to each other, ensuring a smooth finish. Pop the lasagna into the refrigerator and let set for one hour. To serve, cut with a sharp knife and use a spatula. 

Weekly Words: "Theory of a Memory"

"Long, long ago, before I was a tormented artist, afflicted with longing yet
incapable of forming durable attachments, long before this, I was a glorious
ruler uniting all of a divided country—so I was told by the fortune-teller
who examined my palm. Great things, she said, are ahead of you, or perhaps
behind you; it is difficult to be sure. And yet, she added, what is the difference?
Right now you are a child holding hands with a fortune-teller. All the
rest is hypothesis and dream."

- Louise Glück

Feeding the Flower

One of my favorite parables is that of the tiny flower - a small bud that struggles to strive and grow amidst the opposite pulls of the sun and the earth. The tiny flower fights and fights, until it finally breaks free from the earth, only to lose all of it's petals and wilt back to the ground. You might think that the story ends there - a typical tragedy of sorts - but what happens next is beautiful. The petals around the base of the flower bring nutrients back to the earth and the sun cries tears, which water the plant back to health. The tiny flower grows tall and is happy. 

As I explore this new moon in my life, I continue to think about what new activities to add to my calendar. Besides re-immersing myself in my coaching certification, I want to add a few scheduled classes, and ensure that our weekly date night stays put. But I am reminded quickly that an overcrowded calendar can have an effect like the sun and the earth - they pull us in opposite directions and can leave us wilted and burnt out. And, more importantly, they leave little room for the activities that nurture and feed us, recharging our batteries so that we can continue to operate well.

Building a health routine is all about figuring out what feeds your flower, and making sure to incorporate this soul food on a regular basis. These acts of self-care can take many forms. It can be as simple as carving out an extra thirty minutes to consciously prepare a meal for yourself or as complicated as turning down a night out in lieu of a gym class or respite. Whatever it entails, the act of incorporating such tasks into your schedule should be a conscious and deliberate one. It is helpful to truly tap into what your body and mind are telling you, and pause to consider the space between what you want and what you need.  

Admittedly, it's not always easy to take the first step towards nurturing your roots when all you want to do is be out there in the world. Self-care can be a quiet and personal thing. But the most challenging part of building a new routine is just getting started. The tiny flower had to fight to get those first nutrients and to claim its space, but it eventually started to feel better. It grew, and it soared. Here are a few tips for finding what works for you.

Tips for Introducing a Health Routine

• Tap into your experiences to determine what you need. Sometimes it's as easy as intuitively knowing that your body needs a break or you want to shed a few pounds. But oftentimes, it can be difficult to truly listen and understand your needs. In this case, consider the ratios. What did you experience last time you did something, and how did it make you feel? If the bad outweighs the good, consider introducing nixing that activity for one that nourishes instead of stresses. 

• Start small. You can't run a marathon without a pair of shoes. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals for yourself when introducing a new activity. Make the goal Specific (like identifying where to buy shoes), Measurable (such as determining the key points in your process that you can track success against), Achievable (realistic steps in your plan), Reasonable (your expectations in being able to identify where to buy the shoes) and Time-Specific (the time you allot yourself to buy shoes). Being direct about your goals will help you take them down piece by piece and prevent you from making mountains out of molehills.

• Be flexible. Get creative. Some weeks my self-care looks a lot like a spa vacation. At other busy times it could look like a long walk and a podcast instead or an extra five minutes of washing my face. Be flexible in your routine, but don't let that become a detractor in your success. Be creative in thinking up contingency plans in advance each week. If you have to work late and can't go for a run, research a workout video ahead of time to do in your living room.

The key to building a successful health routine is investing the time and energy in making your well-being a priority.  A little can go a long way. So what is it that feeds your flower? 

Weekly Words: "Whistling Swans"

"Do you bow your head when you pray
or do you look up into that blue space? 
Take your choice, prayers fly from all directions. 
And don’t worry about what language you use, 
God no doubt understands them all. 
Even when the swans are flying north
and making such a ruckus of noise, 
God is surely listening and understanding. 
Rumi said, There is no proof of the soul. 
But isn’t the return of spring
and how it springs up in our hearts a pretty good hint? 
Yes, I know, God’s silence never breaks, 
but is that really a problem? 
There are thousands of voices, after all. 
And furthermore, don’t you imagine (I just suggest it) 
that the swans now about as much as we do
about the whole business? 
So listen to them and watch them, 
singing as they fly. 
Take from it what you can."

- Mary Oliver

Golden Pumpkin Smoothie

A week before we left to get married, I found myself caught up in the excitement of the Super Blood Moon. As someone who has always been drawn to the moon, the whole thing had me enchanted. I immediately set up my camera and watched as the evening unfolded and we experienced not just an eclipse but that brilliant red moon emerge in the sky. It was emotional, likely because I was about to experience an awesome and momentous life event. But also because I remembered how quite often, our lives resemble the cycles of the moon.

Often times, after a change or a busy period, we find our skies are blank and we are ready to grow towards a new venture, hobby or path. We might reflect on previous experiences or feel anxiety for a new life moon. But as we let go of inertia, and the past, we begin rolling and putting our lives back in rotation. Much like a waxing moon, we build new ideas, opportunities and experiences, and more and more light shines on our life. We build confidence (which may can be peppered with a bit of fear or doubt) until we reach the full moon - the climax or pinnacle of our experience - where we shine brightly in the space of who we are. We then enter a period of exploring what just happened where we might feel a sense of loss, or bittersweet emotions, and perhaps start to relax as we wane. 

Well, I guess you could say that I've just been through a Super Blood Moon of my life. 

 In New England, we're currently in the peak "peak" season of autumn. The nights are cool, the sun sets before five o'clock and the light has that turning golden glow. Amidst my own waning moon, I'm more than ready to start fresh and get back to a schedule.  I'm happy to be in the office, re-adapting a more regular exercise routine and being invigorated by the fall markets as I get back in my kitchen. I'm curious about what these next months will hold.

This fall smoothie is one of my very favorites. It tastes like pure pumpkin pie goodness, and is full of anti-inflammatory magic - a much welcome thing after a month of wonderful wedding indulgence. It's packed with pumpkin, which is rich in dietary fiber, beta carotene and Vitamin A. It also includes apple, carrot, banana, as well as fresh ginger and turmeric, which as I've discussed before are literal adaptogenic gold. Thanks to their super antioxidant properties, they help decrease inflammation and supporting your immune system. This is a necessary boost as we enter flu season and they're sure to provide inner warmth as we enter cooler temperatures ahead. 

Golden Pumpkin Smoothie

1 small banana, sliced

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 apple chopped

1/2 cup organic pureed pumpkin 

1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated

1-inch knob of turmeric, peeled and grated (you can also use 1 tsp. ground turmeric)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 packet of raw protein powder (I prefer this kind)

1 tablespoon Maca powder

1 tsp hemp seed

1 tsp chia seed

Combine first seven ingredients in blender, and top with water or preferred nut milk and 3-4 ice cubes. Blend until combined. Add in protein powders, Maca, hemp and chia seed, and pulse until combined. Drink immediately, or if storing, reserve seed mixture until serving, as they will absorb much of the liquid and thicken the smoothie.

Happy weekend...

It's been a weird week back here in Boston, and I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend of staying local and really enjoying that extra hour of sleep. I'm also working on getting back to sharing some posts about our time away in Peru, thoughts on self-care routines for the fall and a few of the delicious recipes that we've been cooking since returning home. In the meantime, here are a few things that are on my radar:

• Taking in the most glorious sounds with Spotify's playlist "The Most Beautiful Songs in the World." They're the perfect tunes for a quiet candlelit evening or a moment in solitude.
• Making my way through Voracious, Cara Nicoletti's awesome set of recipes inspired by life and literary stories.
• Shedding my summer skin and embracing fall thanks to SunPotion's Wildcrafted Shea Butter. It's a thick concoction, but after warming the butter between your hands and giving a good massage, it's truly nourishing and has helped me steer clear of any fall itchies. 
• And finally, two parts of wonderful poems on grief from Mary Oliver that, when juxtaposed, have been greatly on my mind this week:

“Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.

It took me years to understand

that this, too, was a gift.”

— ("The Uses of Sorrow")

“And I say to my body: grow thinner still.
And I say to my fingers, type me a pretty song.
And I say to my heart: rave on.”

— ("A Pretty Song")

Weekly Words: "And Now it's October"

"the golden hour of the clock of the year. Everything that can run
to fruit has already done so: round apples, oval plums, bottom-heavy
pears, black walnuts and hickory nuts annealed in their shells,
the woodchuck with his overcoat of fat. Flowers that were once bright
as a box of crayons are now seed heads and thistle down. All the feathery
grasses shine in the slanted light. It’s time to bring in the lawn chairs
and wind chimes, time to draw the drapes against the wind, time to hunker
down. Summer’s fruits are preserved in syrup, but nothing can stopper time.
No way to seal it in wax or amber; it slides though our hands like a rope
of silk. At night, the moon’s restless searchlight sweeps across the sky."

- Barbara Crooker

On Love, Unions, and Adventure

We are now a little less than three weeks out from our wedding day, and while everything people told us about the final days has been a bit true, I continue to try and stay as grounded and present to the experience as possible. 

And so, in honor of our love (in this exact moment in time), our union (in bringing together our families and spirits to celebrate), and the adventure (that we're about to embark on in our honeymoon and in life), I am stepping away until late next month. A few of my favorite thoughts and words on partnership, love, and unity are below. Have a great month, and see you on the other side!

“Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“Along with the differences that abide in each of us, there is also in each of us the maverick, the darling stubborn one who won’t listen, who insists, who chooses preference or the spirited guess over yardsticks or even history. I suspect this maverick is somewhat what the soul is, or at least that the soul lives close by and companionably with its agitating and inquiring force. And of course all of it, the differences and the maverick uprisings, are part of the richness of life. If you are too much like myself, what shall I learn of you, or you of me? I bring home sassafras leaves and M. looks and admires. She tells me how it feels to float in the air above the town and the harbor, and my world is sweetened by her description of those blue miles. The touch of our separate excitements is another of the gifts of our life together.”

— Mary Oliver

“An honorable human relationship — that is, one in which two people have the right to use the word “love” — is a process, delicate, violent, often terrifying to both persons involved, a process of refining the truths they can tell each other.

It is important to do this because it breaks down human self-delusion and isolation.

It is important to do this because in doing so we do justice to our own complexity.

It is important to do this because we can count on so few people to go that hard way with us.”

— Adrienne Rich

“Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.”

— Louis de Bernieres