Nothing's Better than Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

So I got pretty ambitious (or at least by my standards) and decided to take a stab at making homemade whole wheat bread this past week. I almost started making it on Monday night at around 10 p.m., when luckily I realized that it is about a 7 hour process. Tuesday was bread making day!

I used the recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking. My favorite part was definitely kneading the dough. I got to use the muscles I have built over the past few weeks from yoga :o)



One of the loaves turned out a little misshapen due to an impromptu visit to Market of Choice in a mad rush to buy another loaf pan. And the other loaf, which was actually perfectly shaped, turned out a little on the dry side. I think it was because I used my friend Lin's loaf pan that is ceramic. Needless to say, both loaves were super delicious, and even more so because they came from my own hard work! I enjoyed bread with Earth Balance, blueberry jam and with a hot bowl of Amy's No Chicken Noodle Soup.





On another note....Tilly's growing bigger everyday (very, very slowly, but surely!). The weather in Eugene last week was splendid. Flowers abloom. People abound. Tilly especially loves lavender.

Live with intention. Lead with the heart.

Through my practice of anusara yoga, I have learned to live with intention, and to lead with my heart. Over the past few weeks, these mantras have held particular relevance in my life. I have decided that I want to be certified as a yoga teacher once I graduate this summer. I have always thought it would be a wonderful thing to be a yoga teacher, and now with intention, I have decided to make it part of my reality.

My lovely roommate/best friend, Carrie, has been with me for most of my adult growth, and this term we have been taking anusara yoga together on Mondays and Wednesdays. We have the most inspirational, uplifting, beautiful, teacher who is full of laughter and grace. Her name is Michele. I think she has had such a positive influence on Carrie over the past six weeks and on me over all three terms that she has been my teacher. She has inspired both Carrie and I to live with intention and open our hearts and let our excellence radiate. And she is definitely one of the best reasons I want to become a teacher. I hope someday I will be able to have such an influence over my students.



Living with intention inspired Carrie and I to finally go grocery shopping, stop eating out so much and explore our talents as young chefs. As I began to prepare to make whole wheat bread from scratch (look for the blog post in a couple of days), Carrie made us a delicious soup to close the weekend and make Sunday extra special.



Carrie's Green and Yellow Vegetable Soup

2 large carrots, chopped
1/2 purple onion, diced
1 large head broccoli, chopped
1 cup snap peas, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 tsp dill
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp Court Bouillon Bio (X-mas present from my Aunt Alison who lives in Paris, but we think it's a mixture of thyme, coriander, marjoram, laurel and lovage)
1 tsp salt, or to taste
pepper, to taste
1 cup bow tie pasta
1 cup wheat spiral pasta
1 can whole pinto beans

Chop carrots and broccoli into manageable chunks. Cut several of the broccoli chunks close to the heads, so the buds separate in the liquid. In a large pot, boil a cup of water and cook carrots over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Bring water to a boil for pasta.
In a separate pan, saute diced purple onion in water for about 4 minutes or until translucent. Add vegetable broth, broccoli, and snap peas to large pot of carrots and stir in spices, salt and pepper. Add onions and cook at a medium heat while pasta is cooking.
Cook pasta until al dente then add to large pot. Stir in whole pinto beans and let cook on a low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until all vegetables and pasta are tender.

Carrie says, "The turmeric gives this delicious soup its golden color, and the broccoli buds make the soup thick with a lovely deep color. GO DUCKS!!!"