| The Blue Heron
Ranch Cookbook Recipes and Stories from a Zen Retreat Center by Nadia Natali North Atlantic Books, 2008 "Ten miles north of Ojai, at the end of a very long road in Matilija (pronounced Ma-til-i-ha) Canyon, lies Blue Heron Ranch. It nestles within the Los Padres National Forest in southern California. Here we, the Natali family, have faced fires, floods, bears, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes. We built a home, raised a family of three children, and have run a modest Zen center and fed a myriad of visitors for twenty-five years," writes Nadia Natali in the preface to this cookbook, a sequel to Cooking Off the Grid, produced and published by the Natali family in 2006. "This cookbook was inspired by the many individuals who visited our center and encouraged me to write about the meals prepared for our retreats. "Interspersed with the recipes, I’ve included stories about Blue Heron’s beginnings and how it has evolved. In addition to the recipes and stories, I’ve offered tips on cooking for a crowd and fresh ideas that you can use for weekend visits of friends or family members. Or perhaps you’re starting your own retreat center! You’ll find a good sequence of meals to serve to a small group over a weekend, along with helpful shopping lists." The recipes, like the Natali's unique retreat, have a welcoming homemade feel and produce hearty meals of healthy and tasty dishes. Accented by the delightful color illustrations of Marica Natali Thompson, the book is spacious, clear and easy to browse. Menus for family gatherings and retreats are outlined in the front of the book, followed by lists of recommended foods and supplies. Personal stories about the Natali's arrival in California's in 1980, the floods and wildfires they endured, the teepee they constructed and lived in, homeschooling their children, the loss of their youngest son, and the Zen Center they founded are interspersed throughout the text. Initially skeptical about Zen retreats, Nadia Natali eventually agreed to attend a family-oriented retreat near Santa Clara and became enamored of the experience: "I learned that sitting is an opportunity to watch yourself while in a dilemma. It is very clean. It took a while to learn not to judge my mental antics. I discovered another part of me that is almost impossible to find under the usual noise of everyday life. There is a larger me who can include all the various aspect of my ordinary self. This discovery is not a one-time thing, nor is it the same each time. It changes and develops as long as I give it the space and attention it needs. "By the end of my few days I was so 'up' that I said to Enrico (her husband), 'Let's start our own Zen center.'" The small Zen retreat center that resulted, Blue Heron Ranch, became both the inspiration and proving ground for the recipes in this cookbook. Recipe: Blue Heron Ranch Potato Leek Soup I usually cook this soup for Friday night dinners when our retreats commence. Soup has a warm welcoming effect, and in the case of a meditation retreat you don’t want to start out with too heavy a meal. 1. Sauté: 2 Tbs Olive oil
3 Leeks cut in thin slices 3 stalks Celery cut in thin slices 1 head Garlic cut in large chunks 2. Add and cook for 20 minutes: 3. Add: 1/4 lb Noodles elbows style
2 tsp Dill 4. Add when noodles are just done:
1 lb Tofu cubed Serves 8 From The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook by Nadia Natali, published by North Atlantic Books, copyright © 2008 by Nadia Natali. |
 The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook Recipes Vegetarian Dinners My Favorite Tomato Sauce Grandma Elizabeth’s Polenta Lasagna from Enrico’s Family Matilija Manicotti Pizza with Goat Cheese Seasoned Rice Blue Heron Beans Adzuki Beans and Rice Black Bean Enchiladas Ojai Chili Sauteed Vegetables with Rice Special Vegetables with Almonds Vincenzo’s Risotto Carrots and Tofu Lentils and Mint Curried Lentils California Split Pea Dahl Pucci’s Potato and Egg Curry Sunday Stuffed Potatoes Spinach and Anaheim Chilies Baked Eggplant Saturday Market Quiche Garden Vegetable Quiche Fish and Chicken Dinners Kobun’s Rice Balls Miso Pine Salmon Escolar Millennium Paella Chicken w/ Chard & Noodles Francis’s Chicken and Curry Westport Pineapple Chicken Apple-Baked Chicken November Stuffing Soups and Stews Simply Miso Soup Rainy Day Tofu Soup Potato Leek Soup Cross-Country Lentil Soup Garbanzo Soup with Tomato Winter Minestrone Chicken and Fish Southwest Chicken Stew San Francisco Chicken Stew Blue Heron Chicken Stew Rainy Day Chicken Noodle Soup Ojai Bouillabaisse Chilled Summer Borsch Avocado and Cucumber Soup Marica’s Gazpacho Poor Man’s Gazpacho Yogurt Soup Salads and Dressings Frankie ’s Salad Dressing Blue Heron Salad Dressing Baby Green Salad Sackets Harbor Summer Salad Santa Barbara Salad Variation Cool Cucumber Salad Potato and Bell Pepper Salad Mixed Bean Salad Rice Salad My Roasted Red Bell Peppers Goat Cheese Salad Cloved Fruit Compote Two Fruit Salads Raita Salad 106 Breads and Muffins Whole Wheat Bread Rosemary Corn Bread Garlic Bread Tortillas from South America Naan from India Banana Bread Weiner Sisters’ Popovers Golden Scones Marica’s Biscuits Quick Ginger Molasses Muffins Breakfast Sunday Pancakes Hearty Breakfast Crepes Delectable French Toast Birthday Waffles Sesshin Oatmeal Early Morning Rice Cream Home-Baked Granola Puddings and Custards Black Bear Apricot Pudding Bread Pudding Brown Rice Custard Coconut Rice Pudding Mexican Rice Pudding Mocha Mousse Zabaglione Cassis Pies Two Delicious Pie Crusts Blue Heron Apple Pie Blueberry Peach Pie Persian Mulberry Peach Pie Lemon Meringue Pie Mitzi’s Chocolate Pecan Pie Autumn Pumpkin Pie Apple Crunch 160 Cookies Cardamom Cookies Chocolate Chip Cookies Butter Walnut Cookies Cakes Cardamom Bundt Cake Lemon Cranberry Bundt Cake Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake Chocolate Apple Sauce Cake Birthday Coconut Cake Persian Mulberry Cake with Goat Cheese June Apricot Cake Pear Upside-Down Cake Meyer Lemon Half-Pound Cake Carob Coconut Brownies Tiramochamisu or Tiramintmisu Cake Vincenzo and Kana’s Wedding Cake Wedding Cake Filling and Icing Sauces Ginger Honey Sauce Matilija Tamari Sauce Ojai Lemon Sauce Green Enchilada Sauce Pesto Lemon Sauce Mushroom Garlic Sauce Marinated Ginger Desert Hummus Sauce Festive Cranberry Sauce Hot Fudge on Ice Cream Drinks Robin’s Chai Teepee Hot Cider 4th of July Lemonade Christine ’s Punch Honey Almond Chai |
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